The Defence Forces will become involved in its first EU battle group in January 2008.
Irish troops will begin working closely with their battle group partners in the next three months, with the first major international training exercise set to take place in September in Sweden.
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen Jim Sreenan, has confirmed to The Irish Times that Irish soldiers will be deployed alongside soldiers from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Estonia. He said Ireland will make 80 troops available for the first six months of 2008.
These could be called upon at short notice to be deployed under UN sanction to any trouble spot around the world. If a deployment is not called up during Ireland's six-month period on the international roster, our troops will be stood down at the end of June 2008.
"Then it's probable that we wouldn't go on the roster again until about 2011 at the earliest," Gen Sreenan said.
Asked if Irish troops could soon be involved in such a mission in Darfur he said: "From a military point of view I wouldn't have a problem with that."