The mandatory retirement age for gardaí, members of the Defence Forces and prison officers has been increased from 60 to 62.
The Government said the extension was designed to help resources and retain expertise.
The announcement was made by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin following a Cabinet decision this morning.
The measure will cover all permanent Defence Force ranks that currently have a mandatory retirement age below 60.
The maximum recruitment age in the Defence Forces will also be raised to 39 under changes which come into effect from 29 March.
Minister McEntee said: “it is important that we retain the knowledge and expertise of experienced people where possible.”
She added increasing the mandatory retirement age for gardaí “reflects the reality across all sectors that people can and want to work in their chosen careers for longer.”
Mr Martin said “The recruitment and retention challenges facing our Defence Forces have been well documented, but these measures are a further step towards addressing these issues.”
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Lieutenant General Seán Clancy welcomed the move, which he said was broadly in line with increases that have been implemented in other western military organisations.
