Personnel overview
Data categories
Information on DND public service employees and CAF members is presented, as well as on the Defence Team as a whole. "DND public service employees" refers to civilian federal public service employees that work for DND and does not include contractors or employees on long term leave. "CAF members" refers to Regular Force and Primary Reserve CAF members, and does not include Canadian Rangers, Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (COATS), or the Supplementary Reserve. The "Defence Team" refers to both DND public service employees and CAF members.
Defence Team personnel
Total Defence Team personnel
128,595 People
CAF members
97,743 CAF members
DND public service employees
30,852 DND public service employees
CAF members by environment
| Environment | # of members |
|---|---|
| Land | 59,165 |
| Air | 22,780 |
| Sea | 15,798 |
Data source: CAF HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31)
CAF member by rank
| Rank Grouping | # of members |
|---|---|
| Junior Non-Commissioned Members | 55,515 |
| Junior Officers | 17,191 |
| Senior Non-Commissioned Members | 17,092 |
| Senior Officers | 7,945 |
Data source: CAF HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31)
DND public service employees by internal organizations
| Internal Organizations | Total members |
|---|---|
| Military Personnel Command | 4,578 |
| Royal Canadian Navy | 4,015 |
| Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) | 3,852 |
| Canadian Army | 3,317 |
| Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure & Environment) | 3,164 |
| Digital Services Group | 2,724 |
| Assistant Deputy Minister (Defence Research and Development Canada) | 1,514 |
| Royal Canadian Air Force | 1,448 |
| Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources - Civilian) | 1,431 |
| Vice Chief of Defence Staff | 749 |
Data Source: CAF HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31)
DND public service employees by classification
| Classification | Total members |
|---|---|
| Administrative Services (AS) | 6,714 |
| Clerical and Regulatory (CR) | 2,892 |
| Information Technology (IT) | 2,771 |
| General Labour and Trades (GL) | 2,208 |
| General Services (GS) | 2,094 |
| Engineering and Scientific Support (EG) | 1,746 |
| Engineering and Land Survey (EN) | 1,694 |
| Purchasing and Supply (PG) | 1,613 |
Data source: CAF HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31)
Distribution of Defence Team personnel
| category | CAF | DND |
|---|---|---|
| Average age(years old) | 34 | 46 |
| Average tenure (years) | 10 | 10 |
First official language (Fol)
| First official language | % of Total |
|---|---|
| English | 76% |
| French | 24% |
Location
| Province | Personnel |
|---|---|
| Ontario, Canada | 52,252 |
| Quebec, Canada | 23,832 |
| Nova Scotia, Canada | 12,717 |
| Alberta, Canada | 11,520 |
| British Columbia, Canada | 11,114 |
| New Brunswick, Canada | 6,896 |
| Manitoba, Canada | 4,772 |
| Saskatchewan, Canada | 1,418 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | 1,226 |
| Northwest Territories, Canada | 318 |
| Prince Edward Island, Canada | 276 |
2,135 Personnel Abroad
All 128,595 people
Data Sources: DND HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31) | CAF HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31)
Defence Team personnel by age
The table below shows the distribution of CAF members and DND public service employees by age. For comparative figures, Statistics Canada publishes data on average age and median age for the Canadian population.
| Category | Age Group | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| All | <20 | 5,697 |
| All | 20-24 | 14,918 |
| All | 25-29 | 19,667 |
| All | 30-34 | 19,228 |
| All | 35-39 | 19,160 |
| All | 40-44 | 14,706 |
| All | 45-49 | 12,109 |
| All | 50-54 | 9,445 |
| All | 55-59 | 7,256 |
| All | 60+ | 5,769 |
| CAF members | <20 | 5,683 |
| CAF members | 20-24 | 14,437 |
| CAF members | 25-29 | 17,177 |
| CAF members | 30-34 | 16,810 |
| CAF members | 35-39 | 15,104 |
| CAF members | 40-44 | 11,545 |
| CAF members | 45-49 | 7,872 |
| CAF members | 50-54 | 5,144 |
| CAF members | 55-59 | 3,015 |
| CAF members | 60+ | 956 |
| DND public service employees | <20 | 14 |
| DND public service employees | 20-24 | 481 |
| DND public service employees | 25-29 | 2,490 |
| DND public service employees | 30-34 | 2,418 |
| DND public service employees | 35-39 | 4,056 |
| DND public service employees | 40-44 | 3,161 |
| DND public service employees | 45-49 | 4,237 |
| DND public service employees | 50-54 | 4,301 |
| DND public service employees | 55-59 | 4,241 |
| DND public service employees | 60+ | 4,813 |
Data Sources: DND HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31) | CAF HR Management System (Last Updated: 2025/01/31)
More information: Defence Advisory Groups (DAGs)
Context
Defence Advisory Groups (DAGs) are volunteer employment equity groups which serve as information resources for DND/CAF employees and members, as well as provide grassroots insight, advice, and recommendations to Defence Team leadership. There are five DAGs, each representing a different employment equity group.
Recent actions
As part of the commitment to DND/CAF culture evolution, investments and resources are being made in the DAGs and their activities. For example, in 2022, DND/CAF created a dedicated DAG Secretariat to provide policy and administrative support to the DAG National Co-Chairs of the five established DAGs.
Providing more support for DAGs also helps implement recommendations from the Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination Final Report and the Report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review. The recommendations from these reports have been incorporated in the approach to Culture Change in the Defence Team.
The DAGs are contributing to real change at DND/CAF, including the ceremonial raising of Pride Flags on bases and wings and hosting ceremonies, awareness around honouring Residential School Survivors, and updating the Canadian Forces Dress Instructions to provide greater inclusivity in CAF member dress and personal appearance.
CAF bases/wings with a Defence Advisory Group (DAG)
The percentages below represent the percentage of CAF bases or wings that have each type of Defence Advisory Group (DAG) available. Note that smaller bases and wings (e.g., Gander and Goose Bay) may have one combined Employment Equity or Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group or be covered by the DAGs at a partner base/wing.
| Defence Indigenous Advisory Group (DIAG) | Defence Racialized Persons Advisory Group (DRPAG) | Defence Women's Advisory Organization (DWAO) | Defence Advisory Group for Persons with Disabilities (DAGPWD) | Defence Team Pride Advisory Organization (DTPAO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72% | 59% | 76% | 76% | 72% |
| Base/Wings | DIAG | DVMAG | DWAO | DAGPWD | DTPAO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bagotville | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Borden | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Calgary | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cold Lake | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Comox | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Edmonton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Esquimalt | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gagetown | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gander | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Goose Bay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Greenwood | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Halifax | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kingston | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Meaford | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Montreal/St-Jean | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Moose Jaw | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| North Bay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ottawa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Petawawa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shilo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Suffield | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Toronto | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Trenton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Valcartier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Vancouver | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wainwright | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Winnipeg | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Yellowknife | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Data Source: Defence Advisory Group Report (Last Updated: 2026/02/23)
Data sources
For details on the methodology of data analysis, including descriptions of each data source, please visit the list of data sources page.