Written answers
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Department of Defence
Defence Forces Strength
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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300. To ask the Minister for Defence the up-to-date figures for the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, by each of the three services, by rank and by gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45817/15]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The following tables set out the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 31 October, 2015, the latest date for which figures are available, across all three services and ranks, broken down by gender. The figures provided are for whole time equivalent posts.
Army
| Rank | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant General | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Major General | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Brigadier General | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Colonel | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 102 | 3 | 105 |
| Commandant | 231 | 28 | 259 |
| Captain | 226 | 40 | 266 |
| Lieutenant | 154 | 30 | 184 |
| Sergeant Major | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant | 32 | 0 | 32 |
| Company Sergeant | 103 | 1 | 104 |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | 161 | 2 | 163 |
| Sergeant | 858 | 58 | 916 |
| Corporal | 1,194 | 114 | 1,308 |
| Private | 3,701 | 187 | 3,888 |
| Cadets | 45 | 4 | 49 |
| Total | 6,878 | 467 | 7,345 |
Air Corps
| Rank | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigadier General | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colonel | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Commandant | 30 | 1 | 31 |
| Captain | 54 | 6 | 60 |
| Lieutenant | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Sergeant Major | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Company Sergeant | 54 | 0 | 54 |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| Sergeant | 119 | 5 | 124 |
| Corporal | 143 | 8 | 151 |
| Private | 239 | 10 | 249 |
| Cadets | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Total | 724 | 32 | 756 |
Naval Service
| Rank | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigadier General | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colonel | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Commandant | 46 | 5 | 51 |
| Captain | 3 5 | 16 | 51 |
| Lieutenant | 29 | 3 | 32 |
| Sergeant Major | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Company Sergeant | 75 | 0 | 75 |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Sergeant | 183 | 6 | 189 |
| Corporal | 132 | 8 | 140 |
| Private | 439 | 18 | 457 |
| Cadets | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Total | 995 | 59 | 1,054 |
The whole time equivalent strength on the 31October, 2015, was 9,155. The overall establishment figure set for the Defence Forces is 9,500 and it is the Government’s intention that ongoing recruitment campaigns will strive to maintain the serving strength at or close to this figure.
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