John Brady
Question:394. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the current strength of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51601/22]
View answerTuesday, 18 October 2022
Questions (394)
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 July 2022, is set out below:
|
Service |
Total Effective Personnel |
|
Army Reserve |
1,390 |
|
Naval Reserve |
101 |
|
First Line Reserve |
276 |
The Deputy will be aware that the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, published in February, contains many detailed recommendations, including on the future structure and role of the RDF.
A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to the Report has also been approved with some specific initiatives including 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.