As of the 30 April 2024, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,501 personnel.
The 2024 budgetary allocation provides an overall amount of €452 million for a PDF strength of 8,100, based on a strength of 7,700 at the time of the budget, with an additional allocation for a net recruitment increase of 400. In order to meet government targets, the Defence Forces are making concerted efforts to ramp up recruitment beyond this net figure and there is no question that additional funding, as required, will be an impediment in this regard.
The current establishment was recently increased to 9,600 to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The estimated additional pay cost of bringing the current strength to this figure is in the region of €85m.
As one of the recommendations from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, Government approved a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Permanent Defence Force capability equivalent to Level of Ambition 2. This will require an additional 2,000 personnel, including a civilian component, beyond the 9,500 establishment figure that was in place at the time of the Commission’s report.
Whereas the funding projections for an establishment of 9,600 are based on the current structures and establishment of the Defence Forces, the costing of the additional numbers to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the CODF report will require a detailed workforce planning exercise. In that context, and commensurate with the associated levels of organisational change required, final definitive costings are not currently available.
