Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The strength of the PDF, as at 29 February 2024 the latest date for which such figures are available, stood at 7,451 personnel.

Induction numbers fluctuate from year to year. Budget 2024 allocated €1.23 billion for the Defence Sector, which included a provision for the recruitment and training of a net additional 400 personnel in 2024. As part of strategies to achieve this, a Joint Induction Training Centre has been established in Gormanstown, and the military authorities have advised that when fully operational, it will enable induction training to be provided to 900 recruits per annum. General Service recruitment is ongoing, as is Direct Entry recruitment for specialist positions, and the 2024 Cadet competition has recently been launched.

Every effort is being made to increase the strength of our Defence Forces. The current recruitment and retention challenges being experienced by the Defence Forces are being experienced world-wide. This Government has introduced many changes to make the Defence Forces an attractive option as a career choice and will continue to work with the Defence Forces to enhance recruitment and retention.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The military authorities have provided the following two tables:

Table A details the number of retirements/discharges, by Branch and by year, from 2019 to 2024, as at 29 February 2024

Table A

*as at 29 February 2024

The term 'discharges' encompasses personnel who left for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges and also includes a number of trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training.

Table B provides the projected mandatory retirements on age grounds, the only retirements/discharges that can be accurately predicted into the future, from 2024 to 2028. The military authorities advise that these details take account of the recent increases in mandatory retirement ages.

Table B

I have previously acknowledged the staffing difficulties in the Defence Forces, and work is ongoing to counter these. My immediate focus remains on stabilising the numbers of personnel, and to facilitate capacity for further increases.