Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
243. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence to provide an update on the numbers of personnel within the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Defence Forces; the figures at each year end from 2020 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68950/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Defence, I am fully committed to increasing and strengthening recruitment and supporting retention in the Permanent Defence Force.
The Military Authorities have provided the figures requested by the Deputy in the table below for the strengths by service of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) and Reserve Defence Force (RDF) from 2020 to 2025 and also for 2026 as of the 31 August 2026, the latest date such figures are available for.
|
Year |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026* |
|
PDF Army |
6,920 |
6,830 |
6,460 |
6,136 |
6,099 |
6,184 |
6,187 |
|
PDF Air Corps |
746 |
751 |
708 |
689 |
739 |
765 |
788 |
|
PDF Naval Service |
902 |
875 |
798 |
725 |
719 |
807 |
840 |
|
PDF Total (W.T.E) |
8,568 |
8,456 |
7,966 |
7,550 |
7,557 |
7,756 |
7,815 |
|
RDF First Line Reserve |
262 |
271 |
280 |
282 |
165 |
204 |
195 |
|
Army Second Line Reserve |
1,583 |
1,485 |
1,516 |
1,461 |
1,673 |
1,481 |
1480 |
|
Naval Service Second Line Reserve |
129 |
126 |
104 |
101 |
141 |
131 |
133 |
|
Second Line Reserve Total |
1,712 |
1,611 |
1,620 |
1,562 |
1,814 |
1,612 |
1,613 |
*As of 31 August 2026
2025 saw an expansion in the overall strength of the PDF of almost 200 personnel, with a total of 790 inductions achieved, the highest in twenty years. The number of personnel who discharged was at its lowest level in more than five years. Total inductions for 2026 stood at 490 to the end of August.
Interest in a career in the Defence Forces remains robust with a total of over 14,000 applications received to the end of August 2026, thereby building on the 16,510 applications received last year. The challenge now for the Defence Forces is to convert this high level of applications to inductions.
Recruitment to the Defence Forces remain open and ongoing via a diverse range of competitions including general service recruitment, re-entry schemes and multiple direct entry competitions for specialist roles, the most recent of which to launch include those for Instrumentalists and Aerospace Engineers.
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.
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 launched in mid-September 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 further increased it to €4.535m for 2026.
• The launch of Supplemental Military Service on 1st June, which includes support military service both within or outside the State and will be remunerated. Members of the RDF deployed on Supplemental Military Service will also be entitled to the benefits of the Working Time Directive as well as appropriate allowances and subsistence.
• Significant strides continue to be made on a number of fronts as illustrated by the initiatives I have outlined here and I am committed to building on the growth in recruitment and the stabilisation in retention achieved in recent years.
