Willie O'Dea Position:Minister for Defence
Age:54
Party:Fianna Fáil
Constituency:Limerick East.
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Political career:One of the Dáil's biggest vote-getters, the Minister for Defence has been reappointed to his current portfolio. A former barrister and accountant, he has been a TD since 1982 and became a Cabinet Minister for the first time in 2004 in the Department of Defence. Popular and with a reputation for his diverting and damaging attacks on the Opposition, he has a high media profile.
Immediate challenges:The continued modernisation of the Defence Forces as they carry out more international peacekeeping roles; upgrading equipment; increasing the numbers of women in the Defence Forces.