Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 March 2024
172. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide an update on the Reserve Defence Force recruitment competition; the number of recruitment liaison officers currently working on the reserve recruitment competition; the Reserve Defence Force's role in the future plans for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11337/24]
View answerThe structure and strength of the RDF is a key focus of the Office of Reserve Affairs (ORA) which was established recently in line with a recommendation from the Commission on the Defence Forces Report (CODF). The Director of ORA, how holds the rank of Colonel, advises that their immediate focus is on the development of a Regeneration Plan.
A recruitment drive for the RDF was launched last year in October 2023, which was advertised across a number of media channels. Other strategies employed have involved the use of social media, the Defence Forces Press Office, outreach activities by RDF members, and the use of PDF exit interviews which provided information on applying to the RDF.
The induction of personnel has been facilitated through the implementation of the Managed Induction Process whereby each applicant is assigned a Recruitment Liaison Officer (RLO) who maintains contact with them throughout the induction process. The aim of this close liaison is to facilitate an expeditious and efficient recruitment process from application to attestation. 41 RDF units are currently open for applications from potential recruits. Each of these units has at least one Recruitment Liaison Officer.
Work has also been completed on streamlining the two-stage medical process and fitness testing is now completed before medicals. To date, there are over 800 live applications resulting from the Oct 2023 campaign, with 83 medicals completed.
In terms of the strength and structure of the RDF, one of the recommendations from the Report is to increase the future RDF establishment strength to include at a minimum, an Air Force Reserve of 200, and a Navy Reserve of 400.
A more robust and streamlined recruitment process lends itself also to the CoDF recommendations relating to the structure and strength of the RDF.
The Government remains committed to bolstering the numbers in the RDF. Upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages for the RDF are being examined, in the context of recently announced changes for the Permanent Defence Force.
The ultimate goal is the development of a Reserve Force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy on a voluntary basis, with the Permanent Defence Force, both on-island and overseas. The recent amendment to the Defence Act pertaining to the Reserve provides for this.
I would like to assure the Deputy that it is my aim, and that of the Chief of Staff, to ensure that the regeneration of the RDF remains a key goal in 2024 and beyond.
