In December 2022, the military authorities advised that their induction training capacity for 2023 would be 880. 415 personnel were inducted in 2023 comprised of 350 enlisted personnel, 63 cadets and 2 officers. There continues to be a strong pipeline of interest in joining the Defence Forces with some 9,479 applications received in 2023.
At a recruitment briefing in December 2023, the military authorities outlined that their total projected induction figure for 2024 was 540 i.e. 472 enlisted personnel, 60 cadets and 8 officers. I have instructed that additional enlisted personnel and cadets be recruited in 2024, beyond this figure
Budgetary allocations for the Defence Sector in 2023 and 2024 provided for the recruitment of a net 400 personnel in each of these years. Recruitment in 2024 is facilitated by the allocation of €1.23 billion for the Defence Sector in Budget 2024.