The Irish Government has approved the Defence Forces’ participation in a German-led EU battlegroup for both this year and next.

The battlegroup’s role includes serving as an initial force to stabilise situations while awaiting the arrival of a follow-up force, supporting peace operations in crisis, and responding to humanitarian emergencies.

Capable of being deployed up to 6,000km from Brussels, the battlegroup covers areas ranging from the Balkans to the Sahel region in Africa.

This marks the eighth time the Defence Forces have joined an EU battlegroup, though no group has ever been deployed.

The EU Battlegroup 2025, comprising 2,000 personnel, will be on standby throughout 2025. Among the 174 Irish personnel, other members hail from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

A certification exercise took place at Gormanstown Camp in County Meath on Wednesday, where soldiers simulated base security operations such as manning perimeters and controlling entry points.

Lieutenant Colonel Donal Burke noted an “increased likelihood” of deployment this time, highlighting the battlegroup’s preparation for “the full spectrum of crisis management.”

Unlike traditional peacekeeping missions, this battlegroup is more focused on peace enforcement, operating at the more challenging end of crisis response.

Burke explained that the 2025 battlegroup differs from its predecessors in three key ways: its extended standby period of 12 months (compared to the previous six months), a potential increase in personnel to 5,000 (up from 1,500), and a stronger political emphasis on enabling the EU to implement its foreign policy more effectively.