Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
105. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Defence the current total number of members of the Reserve Defence Forces, based in each county, and the corresponding figures for 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021. [33099/26]
View answerMy key priority is the modernisation of our Defence Forces, and revitalising our Reserve Defence Forces is a vital part of that transformation process.
The current strength of the Reserve Defence Force, as of 31 March 2026, consists of 204 First Line Reserve personnel and 1,621 Second Line Reserve personnel.
The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) Regeneration Plan, published in July 2024 ,coordinates 27 actions across four objectives [(i) Recruitment & Retention, (ii) Resourcing, (iii) Training & Education, and (iv) Integration & Deployment].
Furthermore other areas of work underway in the Reserve Defence Force sphere include:
• A new RDF Recruitment system, which will result in a more streamlined and user-friendly process for applicants;
• A significant RDF advertising awareness campaign is in the final stages of development. This will be coordinated across all media modes including television and radio adverts, to raise the public’s awareness of the opportunities available in the RDF;
• A substantial expansion of the RDF budget which continues to increase in pace with the enhanced role of the RDF. To illustrate this, the budget allocation in 2025 was €3.542m and I have further increased it to €4.535m for 2026.
The military authorities have advised that the number of Reserve Defence Force (RDF) members based in each county is not information that is routinely retained. Additionally, the strengths of specific units and their corresponding military installations/locations, by county, are not provided for security reasons.
The initiatives contained with the RDF Regeneration and Development Plan are generating change towards a modernised RDF that can seamlessly train, operate, and deploy with the Permanent Defence Force.
