Caitríona Heinl was appointed as a member of the Irish government’s Commission on the Defence Forces which began its work on 15 December 2020. Over a period of 13 months, the Commission focused its work on considering the appropriate capabilities, structures and staffing of both the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) and Reserve Defence Force (RDF) with a view to the immediate future, and the uncertain period beyond 2030. The final report, which was released in February 2022, can be found here. The report provides analysis on the following themes:
- The Security Context
- Current Defence Policy Framework
- Key Roles of the Defence Forces
- Vision and Level of Ambition for Future Defence Forces
- Requirements for a 21st Century Defence Force
- Shaping the future ‐ Defence Forces’ Structures
- People as the Defence Forces’ Key Strategic Resource
- The Reserve Defence Force
- Funding the Defence Forces of the future
- Implementation
Press coverage and information on the Terms of Reference, public consultation, and members can also be found here.