The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Dáil has been informed that Ireland’s standing is faltering due to problems with the acquisition and retention of personnel in the Defence Forces, resulting in a significant attrition of staff. The rebuke came from independent TD Verona Murphy during a questioning session with high-ranking officials from the Department of Defence.
During the meeting, Department of Defence’s Secretary General, Jacqui McCrum defended the department’s methods to stimulate recruitment and retention. McCrum pointed out promising signs in the recruitment for Naval Service this year. She informed the PAC that currently, there are approximately 7,500 staff members across the Army, Naval Service, and Air Corps, a figure which is a shortfall of 2,000 from the 9,500 recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces.
McCrum shared that the Commission also suggested a personnel strength of 11,500 by 2028, a target significantly missed by the current situation. Naval Service ships are currently rendered out of service and docked at piers owing to staffing issues, a situation Murphy deemed as “unacceptable”.
The Secretary General highlighted that to attract more prospective staff to apply, a starting salary rise of 34% up to €39,000 was introduced. This move did attract 8,000 applicants to join the Defence Forces the previous year. When questioned about the withdrawal of Irish troops from UNDOF in Syria, a United Nations peacekeeping mission, McCrum disclosed it was following military advisement and probably due to personnel shortage.
Murphy expressed her concern, stating that issues in recruitment and retention are sullying Ireland’s reputation. To that, McCrum later revealed in the meeting that out of the 8,000 applications, only 415 candidates were hired, while 755 personnel exited. Murphy described this significant loss of staff as akin to ‘haemorrhaging’. The meeting ended on the note of the Secretary General detailing some of the retention strategies that have been implemented, aside from the salary increase for new joiners.
The joining age cap and retirement age of the Defence Forces have been revised to 39 and 60 respectively, with prospective plans to extend retirement age to 62. Private healthcare services have also been introduced for Defence Forces personnel. Staffing problems within the Naval Service have restricted it to readying only two of its eight vessels for patrol duties, leaving another one on standby. However, improvements made in the Naval Service’s functioning ensured no patrol days were cancelled since last August.
The Department and Defence Forces expressed considerable concern over a challenging period during which they could only manage to dispatch a single ship on patrol. Measures are underway to enhance the Haulbowline base, double the allowance for Naval Patrol Duty, and render the job more family-friendly, with a view to attracting additional members to the service.
The strength of the Naval Service is well below its desired target of 1,094 personnel, with the current count only at 722. A scarcity of technicians is affecting the ability to deploy ships, which has led to an increase in the age limit for technical staff to be enlisted. Addressing this issue, the previous year saw the recruitment of 68 Naval Service personnel versus the departure of 95. In contrast, the initial three months of 2024 noted the induction of 31 personnel and a loss of only 14. This scenario was termed a sign of “green shoots” in the recruitment landscape of the Naval Service. Despite the slightly improved situation, there is a continued “deficit position” and the expectation is to stabilise these numbers with the hope that the impact of the retention measures will become apparent this year.