An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November / December 2024 www.military.ie/magazine 30 | THE OFFICE OF RESERVE AFFAIRS RESERVE STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT TEAM (RESET) INTRODUCTION "A key priority of mine as Minister for Defence is the modernisation of our Defence Forces, and revitalising our Reserve Defence Forces is a vital part of that transformation process. This Regeneration and Development Plan contains concrete actions to drive forward recruitment and retention, resourcing, training and education and integration and deployment". The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Mr. Micheál Martin, TD speaking at the launch of the Reserve Defence Force Regeneration and Development Plan on the 24th July 2024 in Cathal Brugha Barracks. By any measure 2024 marks a significant inflection point for the revitalisation of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF). As part of the wider transformation of the Defence Forces a broad spectrum of initiatives are being implemented across all key RDF enablers including policy, regulation and resourcing. These initiatives are already yielding positive effects and are putting the RDF on a clear trajectory towards Vision 2030 – A regenerated, trained and capable RDF to support the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) in all its tasks. This article briefly summarises the key initiatives contributing to the operationalisation of this transformation. DEFENCE POLICY REVIEW In July of this year the Department of Defence published the Defence Policy Review (DPR) 2024. The Review adjusted and reaffirmed our national defence policy in this era of significant change. The 2024 Review is the latest in a fixed cycle of reviews established as recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF). DPR 2024 has articulated our defence policy towards 2028 and states that the roles of the Defence Forces will be examined in the next review. The DPR establishes the policy framework for revitalising the Reserve, highlighting the strategic goal "to create a reserve force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy to support the PDF, nationally and internationally, as and when determined by the Chief of Staff that it is in the best interests of the PDF to do so". Aligned to this strategic goal, the DPR also introduces a crucial policy enabler for utilising Reservists to support the PDF, facilitating the routine deployment of reserve elements to assist with training and operations in typical situations for the PDF. To support this transformation and reach the strategic objective, a new high level strategic vision for the Defence Forces was developed. Vision 2030 states that Óglaigh Na hÉireann will be a joint, agile and fit-for-purpose military force, postured to defend our sovereignty, protect Irish citizens, and secure Ireland's interests. Nested within Vision 2030 is a new vision for the RDF which supports the transformation of the Defence Forces and contributes to the achievement of Level of Ambition 2, defined by the CoDF as "building on current capability to address specific priority gaps in our ability to deal with an assault on Irish sovereignty and to serve in higher intensity Peace Support Operations". In this context the strategic vision for the RDF states that, by 2030, our reserve elements will be a regenerated, trained and capable RDF to support the PDF in all its tasks. This will be achieved through the implementation of the Reserve Defence Force Regeneration and Development Plan (RDFRDP) also published in July this year. The RDFRDP seeks to operationalise the intent of the CoDF and has consolidated a broad spectrum of 27 actions into a holistic campaign to create the effects necessary to achieve the strategic end state. The plan focuses on the creation of a robust centre of gravity that has been identified as "well trained, well equipped and highly motivated Reservists". To this end, the recruitment of new personnel and the retention of existing personnel through meaningful deployment has been prioritised. Reservists will also be equipped with the necessary kit and equipment required to fulfil their roles where and when required. Fig 1 – Overview of Reserve Defence Force Regeneration and Development Plan campaign. Fig 2 – Campaign Plan Implementation ARTICLE BY CAPT (AR) FERGAL FITZGERALD The RDF Regeneration and Development Plan was launched this year Naval Service Reserve Training Day on the LÉ Aoibhinn

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