DF Strength Down the years

[na grohmiti]

So an overall deficit of 1354, or one seventh of the "agreed strength".

[trellheim]

Written answers (Question to Defence)


Minister for Defence


The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is comprised of the First Line Reserve, the Army Reserve (AR) and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR). The strength of the RDF, as of 30 June 2022, is set out below:

Service	Total Effective Personnel
Army Reserve	1387
Naval Service Reserve	103
First Line Reserve	275

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates...ion/2022-07-26

8146+1387+103 ( ignoring FLR) = 9636 ....

[trellheim]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 86 and 99 together.

As at 31 August, 2022, the latest date such details are available, the strength of the PDF was 8,146 personnel or 86% of the current agreed strength of 9,500. 579 of these were women.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates.../2022-10-06/86

[trellheim]

bump... 18 months later.

[na grohmiti]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) – Thursday, 18 Nov 2021 – Houses of the Oireachtas

Defence Forces


Neale Richmond

Neale Richmond

Question:

82. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the efforts to ensure the target of reaching 9,500 members of the Defence Forces is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56189/21]

Colm Burke

Colm Burke

Question:

93. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Defence the way his Department intends to ensure the target strength of 9,500 members of the Defence Forces is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56293/21]

Fergus O'Dowd

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

102. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Defence the details of the plans that are under way to ensure the target strength of 9,500 members of the Defence Forces is achieved in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56291/21]

Dara Calleary

Dara Calleary

Question:

110. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence when he expects the number in the Defence Forces to reach 9,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56478/21]

Barry Cowen

Barry Cowen

Question:

126. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Defence the current strength of the Defence Forces in each of the services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56484/21]

Deputy Simon Coveney


I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 93, 102, 110 and 126 together.

On 31 October 2021, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, PDF, was 8,572 whole-time equivalent personnel comprising 6,946 Army, 878 Naval Service and 748 Air Corps members. While the Government remains committed to returning to and maintaining the agreed strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, a number of factors, some of which are hard to predict, will impact on the timeframe in which this can be achieved.

I have acknowledged the ongoing staffing challenges in the Defence Forces, and a range of actions are designed to tackle this. Continuing recruitment has resulted in a total of 577 personnel being inducted as of 15 November. The scope of direct entry competitions was expanded in 2021 from ten competitions, to include a new Air Corps aircraft technician competition. Additionally, direct entry terms and conditions continue to be revised to improve intakes. The re-entry campaign for former members of the PDF continues.

On retention, there has been significant progress on pay arising out of increases due from recent pay agreements, the most recent of which was a 1% increase on annualised salaries, or €500, whichever is greater, on 1 October, with further increases to follow. There are now service commitment schemes in both the Air Corps and the Naval Service and a special naval service tax credit for seagoing personnel. Furthermore, in light of the particular challenges faced by the defence sector, the Government tasked the Public Service Pay Commission, PSPC, to undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of the underlying difficulties in recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces. I am confident the pay benefits delivered by the public service pay agreements, in tandem with the implementation of the PSPC's recommendations, will improve recruitment and retention challenges currently being experienced by the PDF.

Additionally, the Commission on the Defence Forces is due to submit its report by the end of the year and I look forward to receiving it in due course. The recommendations will then be fully considered and will inform future decisions regarding the Defence Forces. My focus remains on retaining and restoring the Permanent Defence Force to its full capacity, but it will take time for some of these measures to take full effect.

Strength versus Establishment by Rank and Branch - October 2021
	Overall			Army				Naval Service			Air Corps
	Establishment	Current	+/-	Establishment	Current	+/-	Establishment	Current	+/-	Establishment	Current	+/-
Officers
Lieutenant General	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Major General	2	2	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brigadier General (Commodore NS)	8	8	0	6	6	0	1	1	0	1	1	0
Colonel (Captain NS)	39	40	+1	35	35	0	2	3	+1	2	2	0
Lieutenant Colonel (Commander NS)	139	136	-3	112	107	-5	13	13	0	14	16	+2
Commandant (Lt Commander NS)	336	352	+16	255	258	+3	45	50	+5	36	44	+8
Captain (Lieutenant NS)	452	333	-119	306	233	-73	81	59	-22	65	41	-24
Lieutenant (Ensign NS)	256	387	+131	167	293	+126	41	38	-3	48	56	+8
Total Officers	1,233	1,259	+26	884	935	+51	183	164	-19	166	160	-6
Enlisted Personnel
Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer NS)	43	39	-4	29	27	-2	6	6	0	8	6	-2
Brigade Quartermaster (Senior Chief Petty Officer NS)	43	41	-2	32	31	-1	7	6	-1	4	4	0
Company Sergeant (Chief Petty Officer NS)	246	229	-17	115	109	-6	75	72	-3	56	48	-8
Company Quartermaster (Senior Petty Officer NS)	198	193	-5	169	165	-4	15	14	-1	14	14	0
Sergeant (Petty Officer NS)	1,330	1,009	-321	973	789	-184	226	128	-98	131	92	-39
Corporal (leading Seaman NS)	1,801	1,466	-335	1438	1184	-254	180	144	-36	183	138	-45
Private (Seamen NS)	4,606	4,231	-375	3880	3628	-252	402	332	-70	324	271	-53
Cadet (Classified as enlisted personnel in training)	0	105	+105	0	78	+78	0	12	+12	0	15	+15
Total Enlisted Personnel	8,267	7,313	-954	6636	6011	-625	911	714	-197	720	588	-132
Total	9,500	8,572	-928	7,520	6,946	-574	1,094	878	-216	886	748	-138

[na grohmiti]

Defence Forces Strength – Wednesday, 24 Mar 2021 – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas
PDF 8551 at end of February.
Reserve 1583 at end Jan.
Defence Forces Reserve – Wednesday, 24 Mar 2021 – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas

[na grohmiti]

2021 figures are in there, even though it won't show on the date bar. , the grey dots are the Sitting Dáil at the time. currently 33, etc. Some Dáil have been better for the DF than others. The blue vertical lines (which I forgot to tag) show UNOC and UNIFIL commencement.

[trellheim]

can you add the 2021 numbers from the PQ's or are they in there ? What are the grey dots

[na grohmiti]

Have included RDF trendline plus other requested changes.

[na grohmiti]

Leave it with me, I still have the original on my desktop.

[trellheim]

For LT Smash's data 1946-69 data and the 2021 updates no, but any excel jockey is welcome to have a go, put a copy back here when your done

[TangoSierra]

graph

Hope this helps.

Is there an updated version of this available please?

[trellheim]

RDF strength 1588 at start of 21
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates...03/340/#pq_340

trend continues at same rapid decrease

[na grohmiti]

I see it rallied back to 8572 at the end of 2020.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates...28/138/#pq_138

[L.T.Smash!]

You'd need to go back through the years to watch it change; the answers are asked now and then in the PQ's

Went back to have a look. The establishment of the DF is remarkably clear post emergency, and doesn't change until the late 60s.

PDF establishment goes down to 12500 post emergency, I can't seem to find a definitive figure for the emergency establishment but for some reason the figure 40,000 is stuck in my head. So the PDF was massively under its establishment through the whole of the 1950s into the start of our UN contributions and the Congo in the 60s.

RDF establishment goes from 60,000 post emergency to 22,000 in 1951 I believe and stays there until the late 60s too.

So establishment doesn't change at all really for nearly 20 years, I'd imagine the will to maintain it did though.