Julie-Anne Barnes
Maj Gen Jim Sreenan has been appointed the new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
He succeeds Lieut Gen Colm Mangan who retires on age grounds on February 21st.
Col Dermot Earley has been appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
Maj Gen Sreenan has 41 years service with the Defence Forces.
His most recent appointment was Deputy Chief of Staff in September 2000. He has overseas service in Cyprus and the Middle East in 1975.
Roscommon-born Col Earley is a well-known Gaelic football player and managed the Kildare county team for two years. A star player on the Roscommon team in the 1970s, Col Earley has been described as "the best footballer never to win an All-Ireland".
Col Earley has served with two UN peacekeeping operations, once with UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation) and once with UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).
He entered the Defence Force as an officer cadet when he was 17. At 27, he was recruited to serve with the United Nations as a peacekeeper.
"It was the realisation of an old, old dream," he said. He has served on the Golan Heights and the Sinai Desert.
In 1994/95 Maj Gen Sreenan commanded the 76th Infantry Battalion in South Lebanon and served as deputy force commander UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) from 1999 until September 2000.
Maj Gen Sreenan was director of administration at the Defence Force Headquarters and has also completed an international course in the Law of Armed Conflict with the ICRC in Remo, Italy in 1987.
He holds a BA in History and Politics from UCD and a Diploma in Adult and Community Education from NUI Maynooth.
Earlier in his career Maj Gen Sreenan was posted to the Military College as an instructor to the Infantry School.
He then served various posts before being promoted to major general in September 2000 and appointed to deputy chief of staff (Support).
Maj Gen Sreenan lives in Naas, Co Kildare. He will take up his new position in February 2004.
The chief of staff is responsible for all staff duties connected with the executive management of the Defence Forces, particularly strategic planning and public relations. His duties include operational deployment of the defence forces, strategic military research, development and planning, public relations and the delegation of duties.