Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-16
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Matt Carthy (SF), Cavan-Monaghan

We use the term "level of ambition" about the future of the Defence Forces. However, the level of ambition from the Government is absolutely pathetic considering where we are starting from and the situation we have as a result of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael mismanagement. In December 2019, just prior to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coming together in the previous Government, the number of personnel in the Defence Forces was 8,700. We are supposed to celebrate that numbers are now a little over 7,700. There are 1,000 fewer personnel. This is at a time when the Government is planning to abandon the triple lock to send our Defence Forces to places it will not yet stipulate. The Minister tells us that we will have 750 inductions at best this year. Perhaps she could inform the Dáil how many discharges she expects within the Defence Forces this year because on average, it is approximately 750. Is she telling us that at the end of this year, we are effectively going to have no increase in the numbers of personnel in the Defence Forces?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:28+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-16