The White Paper on Defence recognised the need for the Department of Defence to continue to engage in developing and deepening bilateral relations with potential like-minded partners to secure Ireland’s position in current and future international crisis management operations. The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces further supported this view. A joint civilian/military project team was subsequently formed to examine options in this respect and a project was formally initiated in May 2023. This project aimed to explore the benefits to Ireland of establishing a Defence Attaché (DA) network, to look at the potential appropriate composition and duties of the role of a DA, and to consider how such a network could build on existing bilateral relations. The project also explored the potential for the deployment, as a pilot, of a DA in one of the Irish embassies of strategic value and importance to Defence and Foreign Policy goals, where strong engagement exists on defence matters.Consultations continue to take place with a range of stakeholders in this regard, following which an agreement of timelines and next steps will be determined.