PDForra president Mark Keane told the conference the numbers serving in Defence Forces have “dramatically fallen well below the numbers required to maintain and execute all organisational tasking’s assigned".

Derry teenager Anton Tohill will be hoping to succeed where his father Anthony failed by carving out a career in the AFL after being signed by Melbourne giants Collingwood.

More than 30 members of the naval service have asked to apply for discharge from the force in the past month, which has been described as “unprecedented” and “worrying” by their representative organisation.

“I would be putting him on the plane to America next month but I wouldn't be surprised if he got picked up before that.”