Defence Forces Reserve is on life-support with no urgency to provide a cure

Just 755 army reservists undertook paid training last year, along with only 64 reservists in the navy

Successive governments have agreed that the minimum strength of the army reserve should be 3,869 and the minimum for the navy should be 200. Therefore, while the official figures show they are grossly understrength, the actual figures quoted by Neil Richardson, general secretary of the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association, point to a meltdown. File Picture: Denis Minihane

Much has been made of the issues the Permanent Defence Forces is battling thanks to a lack of personnel. 

The same manpower crisis is impacting the 'Reserves', who are supposed to be their back-up but who are now in serious danger of extinction.