Written answers
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Department of Defence
Defence Forces Strength
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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601. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the total strength of the Defence Forces including Reserves, Army, Navy and Air Corps; the number of women in each branch of the services; the likelihood of recruitment and replacements following retirements, now and over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17322/16]
Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The following tabular statement sets out the total strength of the Defence Forces, as of the 31stMay, 2016 (the latest date for which figures are available), broken down as requested by the Deputy.
| Reserve | Army | Naval Service | Air Corps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2,134 | 7,310 | 1,094 | 733 |
| No. of Females | 285 | 452 | 58 | 36 |
It should be noted that figures for the Reserve (above) are for effective members, while figures for the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps are for Whole Time Equivalent positions.
The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising of 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service as stated in the 2015 White Paper on Defence. The manpower requirement of the Defence Forces is monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the operational requirements of each of the three services. Personnel are posted on the basis of operational needs across the organisation both at home and abroad. The significant turnover of personnel that is the norm in military services requires targeted recruitment so as to maintain personnel numbers at or near the agreed strength levels.
A General Service recruitment campaign was launched on the 13thApril, 2016, and the 2016 Cadet Competition launched on the 16thof March, 2016. Applications from these competitions are currently being processed. 241 General Service Recruits have been inducted to date in 2016. It is planned to recruit a total of 600 enlisted personnel in the current year and 75 cadets. An apprentice competition for the Air Corps is currently being planned. In addition, it is planned to recruit 850 enlisted personnel in 2017.
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