Bernard Durkan
Question:140. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the current strength of the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps reserves; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13441/24]
View answerThursday, 21 March 2024
Questions (140)
Written answers
The Reserve Defence Force comprises the Army Reserve (AR), Naval Service Reserve (NSR) and the First Line Reserve (FLR).
The RDF is comprised of the First Line Reserve (FLR), the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve The FLR consists of former trained members of the PDF who are available at short notice to supplement the PDF in times of crisis.
The current strength of the Reserve Defence Force as of 31 January 2024 is as follows:
|
Service |
Total Effective Personnel |
|
Army Reserve |
1,322 |
|
Naval Service Reserve |
89 |
|
First Line Reserve |
282 |
The strategic objective for the RDF 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. This is an underlying message in the Report from the Commission on the Defence Forces.
The structure and strength of the RDF is a key focus of the Defence Force's Office of Reserve Affairs (ORA) which was established in line with a recommendation from the Commission’s Report and its immediate priorities are the development of a Regeneration Plan, in addition to focusing on general recruitment into the RDF.
While there is not currently an Air Corps Reserve, in terms of the strength and structure of the RDF, one of the key recommendations in the Report from the Commission on the Defence Forces, which will be considered in the context of ongoing work on the future strength of the RDF, is to increase the future RDF establishment strength to include at a minimum, the establishment of an Air Force Reserve of 200, and increasing the Navy Reserve to 400.