I spoke to the Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney about a number of issues facing the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF). I suggested the following amendments to the Defence Bill 2020 –
Allow members of the RDF to serve overseas, particularly in niche operational roles like medical and communications roles. Allow members of the RDF to go on training exercises and training courses overseas. Allow members to participate in ceremonial events abroad. Create a Re-Enlistment Pathway for members to seamlessly transition back into the RDF should they wish to rejoin.I believe this would have a huge impact on the Reserve Defence Forces and allow us to populate the numbers very quickly again to get back towards 4,000 members.
I will continue to liaise with Minister Coveney on these issues.
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