Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
177. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Defence for an overview of the way in which the Reserve Defence Force is to be revitalised under the updated Implementation Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. [12377/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI want to acknowledge the men and women of the Reserve Defence Force and the importance of the Reserve as a voluntary organisation and as a key asset for the State. The last two years have witnessed a resurgence in the Reserve.
As the Deputy is aware, the purpose of the Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) is to set out the pathway to implement the CoDF recommendations and the associated governance arrangements. The update of the DIP, published recently, sets out seven RDF specific actions which are scheduled to be completed or substantially progressed by the end of 2026, including: -
Skillset Profiling - to be completed
Lateral Entry Mechanisms into the RDF - to be completed
RDF Deployment policy – to be revised & implemented
Mechanism to support a diverse RDF - completed
Increased direct entry recruitment to the RDF - completed
Reserve Recruitment Plan - completed
Employment Protection Legislation – further evaluation to be completed
Significant progress has been made in respect of these RDF actions and I am confident of delivery within the specified timeframes.
My key priority is the modernisation of our Defence Forces, and revitalising our Reserve Defence Forces is a vital part of that transformation process.
In that context, the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) Regeneration Plan published in July 2024, contains 27 actions across four objectives, namely: Recruit & Retain; Resource; Train & Educate and Integrate & Deploy. The actions in this plan blend with those in the Detailed Implementation Plan. I am tracking progress of the regeneration plan, with regular updates from the DF and my officials, to ensure adequate measurement and drive of the 27 actions.
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.
• To ensure the framework for the Reserve is fit for purpose a review of the current legal and policy framework governing the RDF is underway. The second part of this review will focus on options for employment protection legislation.
I had the opportunity to meet with the Reserve Defence Force representative body, RDFRA, recently and we had a very constructive discussion on the continued development of the Reserve. I can assure the Deputy as I assured RDFRA, that one of my key goals as Minister for Defence, 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.
