Eight members of the Defence Forces have been dismissed after testing positive for taking illegal drugs in 2015.

The naval service is haemorrhaging enlisted personnel because of poor pay and a recruitment drive to plug the gaps will not work unless wages are significantly improved, it has been claimed.

The head of the Naval Service is supporting a call that personnel working on humanitarian rescue missions in the Mediterranean be given a higher overseas duty allowance.

A total of €66 million will be spent on purchasing and maintaining equipment for the army, naval service and air corps next year.

The Government’s plan to double the number of women in the Defence Forces will fail unless its stops discriminating against them.

The organisation which represents rank and file members of the Defence Forces is refusing to sign up to the Lansdowne Agreement on public service pay until the Government reverses its decision to cut the wages of new entrants to the military by 10%.

Irish Naval personnel who have rescued over 3,400 migrants in the Mediterranean are not getting proper pay allowances.

An independent investigation has been ordered by Defence Minister Simon Coveney into allegations that some Air Corps inspectors are not qualified to certify the repairs and modifications carried out on the force’s aircraft.

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney says he believes health and safety issues with a number of costly Defence Force ambulances can be overcome quickly and cost-effectively.

The organisation which represents rank-and-file members of the army, navy, and air corps has lodged a case for official union recognition in Europe and expects to have a positive decision on it within a year.

A soldier was tied up, had barbed wire strung around his toes, and was subjected to a number of electric shocks to his feet and chest as a group of up to 30 of his colleagues looked on.

The Naval Service is seeking more time from the Heath & Safety Authority (HSA) to remove asbestos from two ships which have been out of commission since last May.

Soldiers, sailors, and airmen, are seeking the ability to take industrial action, up to and including strikes.

The Defence Forces say soldiers shouldn’t have to sleep in their cars as there is emergency accommodation available to them — but it costs €48 a week.

The revelation that one in five members of our Defence Forces is living below the poverty line is a damning indictment of what we, as a nation, hold dear.

An organisation representing soldiers serving on the Golan Heights is demanding that a specialist team be sent out to help them cope with the stress of being under fire by Syrian insurgents.

For the first time in its history, the organisation which represents lower ranks in the Defence Forces has taken the unusual step of delivering a petition to the minister for defence over a decision to dismiss personnel in their 40s from the services.

The Naval Service is starting to train key personnel in asbestos awareness and its safe removal.

A solicitor has demanded all Naval Service ships should be immediately grounded and checked for asbestos.

More than 150 Naval Service personnel and civilian workers could have potentially come in contact with asbestos as the crisis deepens over the extent of exposure to the life-threatening substance.

Concerns have been raised about the operational effectiveness of the Naval Service after it emerged that a third vessel has been discovered to have potentially fatal asbestos onboard.

The organisation representing rank-and-file members of the Naval Service has confirmed it is seeking legal advice on how the authorities will provide long-term healthcare for seamen following their prolonged exposure to potentially lethal asbestos dust.

At least 18 navy personnel and civilian workers employed by the Department of Defence may have been exposed to potentially dangerous levels of asbestos.

The organisation representing naval ratings has demanded a thorough examination of all the Naval Service’s older ships to ensure they are asbestos-free.

One-in-five members of the Defence Forces depend on state benefits to feed their families due to deep pay cuts in recent years.

Navy ships are in danger of “grinding to a halt” because there are less than half the number of engine room technicians required to keep them going, an organisation which represents Defences Forces’ personnel claims.

Up to 80 soldiers currently based at Collins Barracks, Cork, will have to resign or relocate to Limerick or Kilkenny under Defence Forces’ rationalisation plans, it has been claimed.

It’s been claimed that due to a raft of cuts, the military can’t defend the security of the State to the same extent it did five years ago and would be under pressure to cope if the threat from subversives increases.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has been urged to clarify the future of Collins Barracks in Cork after it emerged up to 300 soldiers may be leaving it — far more than the 64 mooted by the minister last month.

The association representing soldiers, sailors, and aircrew is “inundated” with phone calls from members concerned at the reduction in the number of brigades in the force.

Up to 500 Defence Forces jobs will be axed under controversial re-organisation plans put forward by Defence Minister Alan Shatter.

Concern has been raised that proposed changes to army structures in Cork could impact on the Defence Forces’ ability to help during civil emergencies.

CLOSING an army barracks will save the state at most €200,000 — but will deprive local economies of up to €8 million, according to the association representing soldiers, sailors and aircrew.

The association representing soldiers, sailors and aircrew of the Defence Forces, have called on the Government to re-affirm that the cuts to their Budget will be limited.

ANGRY army representatives have warned that soldiers will not be silenced on concerns over pay cuts and have told the Government to instead hit the wealthy with taxes.

The Defence Forces union today warned the Government its members would not be gagged over potential pay cuts.

ARMY representatives are calling for 40-year mandatory sentences for the murder of defence force members as concern mounts over the growth in armed political splinter groups and gangs.

TRADE unions and associations representing more than 100,000 public servants have reacted angrily to an alleged attempt to gag the military and prevent it from joining with an alliance fighting pay cuts proposed by the McCarthy report.

OVER 100,000 public servants providing frontline services in healthcare, security and emergency response will resist Government attempts to impose the cutbacks proposed in the McCarthy report.