John Brady
Question:434. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence if he will detail the current strength of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38994/22]
View answerThursday, 14 July 2022
Questions (434)
Written answers
The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is comprised of the First Line Reserve, the Army Reserve (AR) and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR). The Government remains absolutely committed to the advancement of the RDF. The White Paper on Defence is quite clear that there is a continued requirement to retain and develop the Reserve and the Government remains fully committed to this.
The strength of the Reserve Defence Force, as of 31 May 2022, is set out below.
|
Service |
Total Effective Personnel |
|
Army Reserve |
1372 |
|
Naval Reserve |
104 |
|
First Line Reserve |
274 |
The Deputy will be aware that the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, published last February, contains many detailed recommendations, including on the future structure and role of the RDF.
Following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, I announced that the Government has approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces.
This will result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028, the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State. This will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission.
A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to the recent report of the Commission on the Defence Forces has also been approved.
Some specific initiatives include the immediate commencement of planning for the establishment of an Office of Reserve Affairs with the priority objective of developing a regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force.