An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November / December 2023 www.military.ie/magazine 26 | THE OFFICE OF RESERVE AFFAIRS BY COMDR PHILIP DICKER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SGT JOHN ROSSITER T he Office of Reserve Affairs was established earlier this year as one of the Commission on the Defence Forces early actions. The ORA is, in part, a re-hatting of the Director of Reserve Office and while many of its roles will remain the same, it will be a fully resourced and integrated element of DFHQ reporting directly to CHOD. The ORA, with offices located in the DFTC, has now reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) with a PDF staff of five (5) and an RDF staff of one (1). The next tranche of appointments expects to see the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) staff expanded. The ORA mission is to unlock the potential and develop the capability of the RDF to enhance national resilience. The strategic objective for the regeneration and development of the RDF, as accepted by Government in the Strategic Framework is: "To create a reserve force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy with the Permanent Defence Force, nationally and internationally". The work of the ORA is focused on operationalising the intent of the CODF report while concurrently supporting the day-to-day functioning of the RDF. The initiatives being undertaken are guided by the 15 recommendations of the CODF that have been consolidated into four key actions within the Strategic Framework. These are stated as: • Reserve Defence Force Vision: The Defence Forces to publish a new Reserve Defence Force Vision. • Reserve Defence Force Regeneration Plan: The Defence Forces to complete a Reserve Defence Force Regeneration Plan. • First Line Reserve: The Defence Forces to prepare proposals to provide for a Fast Track Process for First Line Reserve. • Employment Protection: Employment protection measures for RDF members who deploy on a voluntary basis in support of the Permanent Defence Force, will be developed by the Department of Defence in 2024. Principal amongst the actions of the ORA is the development of the RDF Regeneration and Development Plan. Work in this regard is well advanced and it is anticipated that the plan will be published in Q2 2024 in line with the requirements of the Detailed Implementation Plan. In the development of the plan the ORA has consulted a broad range of stakeholders, not least Reservists themselves. During a series of workshops, the ORA engaged Reservists in campaign planning whereby they were tasked to develop the actions, effects and conditions necessary to achieve the end-state. The Reservists provided a rich insight into the issues they face. It was clear from the workshops that there is a huge willingness and significant dedication amongst Reservists to revitalise the RDF so that it can make a meaningful contribution to national defence capability. The ORA has identified recruitment and retention as a key priority. The RDF RDP will create actions that will open multiple RDF induction streams. These will include the recruitment of direct entry specialists, re-enlistment and re-commissioning of PDF and RDF personnel and the transfer of personnel from the First Line Reserve to the Second Line Reserve. To enhance these efforts the ORA is examining a range of issues including an assessment of limitations presented in the area of age thresholds in the context of how these constraints impact on a need to retain experienced personnel and secondly induct experienced retired personnel who are seeking to continue their service on a part time basis. Recognising the need for immediate action, a recruitment campaign was launched on 03 October. Applications have been moderate however it is anticipated that an initial induction will commence late this year or very early in 2024. The recruitment process has been significantly streamlined based on lessons from previous campaigns. Recruitment Liaison Officers, with a target of eight (8) weeks from application to attestation, have been appointed to facilitate the efforts at sub-unit level. Going forward it is the intention of the ORA to establish a 'rolling recruitment' system for the RDF whereby multi annual inductions can take place where such capacity exists. The induction of new recruits in Q4 2023/Q1 2024 will be supported by Formations and Brigades through the training of additional instructors. This will be further complemented by the roll out of new and improved recruit training syllabus that will form the key stone to a system of continuous professional career training. Additionally, the RDF will commence centralised recruit training in 2024. This initiative has been introduced in order to consolidate resources and enhance the training available to Reservists. To further complement the retention of personnel, in addition to the commencement of an RDF Potential Officer Course in Oct 2023, ORA has sought to complete a number of Officer and NCO promotion competitions. ORA will continue to support the filling of key appointments and make recommendation, where appropriate, for RDF establishment to be reviewed. This will include the promotion of senior enlisted leaders into appointments that have previously gone unfilled. Over the course of the last year the ORA has sought to keep all stakeholders informed of the initiatives being undertaken. A comprehensive communications strategy has been implemented at all levels. Paired to this effort is the extension of access to the Connect App to Reservists. This has been a hugely positive move that will further enhance the integration of the RDF through comprehensive communications across the DF. To conclude, ORA are focused and committed to operationalising the intent of the CODF. It is clear that the revitalisation efforts that have already been implemented are building momentum and are on the path to the enhancement and integration of an RDF that is fit for purpose in line with the Government's strategic objective. DF Army Reserve recruitment advertisement Recent reserve NCO Course in the Glen of Imaal on exercise Reserve soldier giving section comdrs orders on a recent course RDFRA National Delegate Conference 2023

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