Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022
46. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Defence his views on the finding made by the Commission on the Defence Forces in relation to the current Army structure, that the current brigade system primarily comprises two regional administrative structures that are not deployable and do not align to international standards in terms of their strength or capabilities and are understaffed and underresourced. [13274/22]
View answerThe current two Brigade structure was introduced in 2012 following a reduction in the strength of the PDF to 9,500 personnel. The previous three Brigade structure, which was originally introduced for a PDF strength of 11,500 personnel, could not be sustained within that lower strength level.
The current strength of the PDF is just under 8,500 personnel, which is significantly less than that intended for the two Brigade structure. A key aspect of the terms of reference for the Commission on the Defence Forces was to consider the most appropriate structures for the Defence Forces.
The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces was recently published and the report contains 69 main recommendations and, together with sub recommendations, there are 130 recommendations in total. The Commission's terms of reference included the consideration of appropriate capabilities, structures and staffing for the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service. The Report recommends further work on the identification of suitable Army structures.
As the Report contains many detailed recommendations, there is a process underway to consider these recommendations. The intent is to revert to Government with a proposed response and a high-level action plan in advance of the summer recess. It would be inappropriate for me to pre-empt this deliberative process in advance of Government consideration.
