Written answers
Thursday, 21 July 2016
Department of Defence
Defence Forces Strength
Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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906. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current strength of the Permanent Defence Force with regard to all three services and all ranks; the gender breakdown of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23552/16]
Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The following tables set out the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 30 June 2016, 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Colonel | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 103 | 3 | 106 |
| Commandant | 226 | 30 | 256 |
| Captain | 233 | 44 | 277 |
| Lieutenant | 139 | 22 | 161 |
| Sergeant Major | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant | 32 | 0 | 32 |
| Company Sergeant | 104 | 1 | 105 |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | 160 | 2 | 162 |
| Sergeant | 845 | 56 | 901 |
| Corporal | 1183 | 114 | 1297 |
| Private | 3702 | 180 | 3882 |
| Cadets | 28 | 1 | 29 |
| Total | 6825 | 453 | 7278 |
Air Corps
| Rank | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigadier General | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colonel | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Commandant | 31 | 2 | 33 |
| Captain | 51 | 6 | 57 |
| Lieutenant | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Sergeant Major | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Company Sergeant | 55 | 0 | 55 |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| Sergeant | 114 | 6 | 120 |
| Corporal | 139 | 11 | 150 |
| Private | 222 | 8 | 230 |
| Cadets | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Total | 689 | 35 | 724 |
Naval Service
| Rank | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigadier General | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colonel | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Commandant | 44 | 8 | 52 |
| Captain | 36 | 14 | 50 |
| Lieutenant | 26 | 2 | 28 |
| Sergeant Major | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Company Sergeant | 74 | 0 | 74 |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Sergeant | 173 | 7 | 180 |
| Corporal | 124 | 8 | 132 |
| Private | 491 | 18 | 509 |
| Cadets | 12 | 2 | 14 |
| Total | 1024 | 59 | 1083 |
The whole time equivalent strength on the 30 June 2016 was 9,085. 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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