Despite controversies over compensation claims and threatened industrial action by soldiers, the Defence Forces are "well on target" in their 10-year programme to increase efficiency and reduce their age profile, the new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen Dave Stapleton, told the conference.
He said that he fully supported the Government's decision to close five Army barracks shortly after his appointment.
"We all knew that the recent closures were in the pipeline and that other closures may be decided by Government in the future.
"I would be untruthful if I did not support the Minister in his decisions to rationalise our deployment. We do not have the resources to maintain 34 barracks and to achieve our stated goals."
Lieut Gen Stapleton indicated there would be an increase in operations led by NATO. The Defence Forces have had an 80-strong contingent of military police serving under NATO in the former Yugoslavia for the past year.
Lieut Gen Stapleton said: "An indication of our standing on the world peacekeeping stage was the acceptance by NATO of our involvement in SFOR (Stability Force in Former Yugoslavia) without the vigorous vetting undertaken by NATO on any country participating with them on any mission, exercise or operation.
"This type of mandating is likely to expand and the Government has indicated its willingness to discuss Ireland's participation under such mandates on a case by case basis."
He said the reorganisation of the Defence Forces began three years ago that the reduction in the size of the Army and restructuring from a five-brigade to a three-brigade format was on target.
He referred to the "rejuvenation" of the Defence Forces being brought about the early retirement of older members and the continuous recruitment of young soldiers. He said the age profile of Defence Forces personnel - which had been one of the oldest for any military force in the world - had now "stabilised" but it would still take some years to "arrive at the optimum age by ranks".