Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Strength figures are usually collated at the end of each quarter. The closest date to 1 June 1997 for which strength figures were returned was 30 June 1997. The strength figures for 30 June 1997 and 1 January 2005 are as follows:

The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 sets out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force, comprising 930 for the Air Corps, 1,144 for the Naval Service and 8,426 for the Army. It is my intention to maintain the established Government policy of ongoing recruitment to the Defence Forces. Recruitment into the Permanent Defence Force will continue to maintain the strength at the level set out in the White Paper as required to meet military needs.

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