The current number of civil servants employed by my Department, as of 23rd February 2026 is 499. This number includes 16 civil servants employed to work directly for the Defence Forces at a number of military installations. Among those are 2 at Assistant Secretary grade; the Head of Strategic HR and the Head of Transformation, both of whom are members of the Defence Forces Board.
The current ratio of civil servants to military personnel is approximately 1:16, including those who work exclusively for the Defence Forces. This has changed from a ratio of 1:25 in 2015. The Deputy may wish to note that while civil service grades and military ranks are not equivalent, the salary for the entry positions such as Clerical Officer is just over €31, 000 while for a Three Star Private is over €42,000.
The growth in my Department's staffing in recent years has been necessitated by a number of new responsibilities which have been assigned to the Department and a growth in existing roles. For example, my Department led the transposition of the Critical Entities Resilience Directive known as CER Directive which is part of a European Union-wide effort to increase the resilience of essential services that provide vital societal functions in all Member States. My Department, through its Office of Emergency Planning, is currently developing, with the competent authorities and relevant Government Departments for each sector, a Strategy for the Resilience of Critical Entities. My Department has also recently developed and published the State's first National Maritime Security Strategy to deliver an improved maritime security environment where citizens and Irish interests are protected.
The Department also has engaged in the development of a wide range of new HR policy initiatives for the Defence Forces in response to the recommendations of the Independent Review Group, such as the introduction of an Interim Grievance Manager. A major programme of legislation is also underway to both underpin the culture change in the Defence Forces, as well as the most significant structural changes since the establishment of the Defence Forces.
The Procurement and Acquisitions function has also been expanded to deliver on a major increase in capital provision over the period with provision in 2026 of €300 million, and the record €1.7 billion which has been secured for capital investment in Defence over the next five years, an increase of €600 million, or 55%, on the previous baseline. This has also involved the establishment of a joint civil -military Capability Development Unit to forward plan for the needs of the State in the defence sector in the coming years.
I expect to receive a Civilianisation Strategy from the Defence Forces later this year and I would expect that it will identify a range of functions which will be civilianised, such as HR and finance as recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces. This will facilitate the release of military personnel to more appropriate duties while providing an injection of expertise in the relevant functions. This is already underway with the recruitment of civil servants for Cyber Command. This approach will see the Defence Forces of the future being a greater mix of civil and military personnel as is common among other militaries across the world.
The table below provides a breakdown of the information requested by the Deputy and includes details of expenditure by my Department in respect of payroll for civil servants and Defence Forces in each of the years 2015 to 2025. The table also provides details of the number of civil servants employed by my Department and strength figures of the Defence Forces in each of the years covered by the Deputy's question.
Please note that total payroll costs include Employers PRSI as reported on the Appropriation Accounts 2015 to 2024 and in progress for 2025. The total payroll costs provided for the Defence Forces relates to Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) personnel including Army Nursing Service and Chaplaincy.
Table 2015-2025
