Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
164. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Defence the establishment figure of the Defence Forces; the number of personnel required to meet level of ambition 2; the current number of personnel; and her target for recruitment each year under this Government. [12520/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra213. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Defence the measures being taken to deal with the recruitment and retention crisis in the Defence Force; when she expects staffing levels to reach 11,500 personnel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12111/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra224. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel required under level of ambition 2; the current establishment figure; and the current number within each service. [12473/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 164, 213 and 224 together.
I want to assure the Deputy that the government are fully committed to providing the resources and supporting the Defence Forces to increase recruitment and improve retention.
As of the 31 December 2025, the latest date such figures are available for, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 7,756 personnel, a net increase of almost 200 personnel. The establishment figure stood at 9,739 personnel. Whilst figures provided by the Defence Forces for 2025, suggest a modest expansion in strength, greater recruitment is required to move towards the Commission on Defence Forces recommended target of 11,500 personnel by 2028.
It is very positive to see that interest in a career in the Defence Forces continues to grow, with a total of 16,510 applications received in 2025. It demonstrates that the key enabling measures which the Government has introduced to support and drive Defence Forces recruitment are yielding results.
The challenge now for the Defence Forces is to convert those applications into inductions.
I want to build on the progress achieved in 2025 and have set a target of 850 inductions for 2026.
Opportunities for careers in the Defence Forces remain open via a diverse range of ongoing competitions including those for general service and for Direct Entry specialist roles while the 2026 Cadetship competition recently opened for applications.
A range of measures have been undertaken to tackle these challenges over the last five years of years. The key enabling measures Government has introduced to support and drive Defence Forces recruitment and retention include: increases in the maximum ages of recruitment and retirement respectively; the extension of private secondary healthcare to all personnel; and the application of the provisions of the Working Time Directive across the Defence Forces subject to certain exemptions. The Patrol Duty allowance payable to Naval Service personnel at sea has been doubled after ten days at sea in a calendar year while the Naval Service tax credit has been extended for a further five years.
There continues to be significant progress on pay with all personnel benefiting from a pay award delivered earlier this month with a further increase due in June.
The Joint Induction Training Centre in Gormanston Barracks is being expanded and will eventually facilitate the induction of up to 900 recruits per annum. An allowance for Officer Instructors was introduced last summer targeted at increasing training capacity and upskilling these Officers.
Underpinning these and other measures, I ensured that Budget 2026 provided a record allocation of €1.49 billion for the Defence Sector, an increase of €145 million on 2025. These funds include provision for the recruitment of a net 400 additional PDF members per annum
While recruitment and retention remains challenging, significant strides continue to be made on a number of fronts and the allocation of record levels of expenditure is illustrative of my commitment to increase recruitment into the Permanent Defence Force to meet Level of Ambition 2.
