No let-up in Defence Forces exodus as 236 quit in five months

PDForra president Mark Keane, who represents enlisted personnel in the Defence Forces, said his association has been actively highlighting the exodus since 2016 and he described it as 'a matter of grave concern'.

A total of 236 people left the Defence Forces in the first five months of this year, among them 63 recruits who quit during training.

Figures supplied to the Irish Examiner by the Defence Forces show no let-up in the continuing exodus from the country's military, with the army suffering the most.

The number of discharges increased month by month throughout the period.

In January, there were 25, followed by 40 in February, 44 in March, 45 in April and rose noticeably to 82 in May.

The army lost a total of 55 recruits over the five-month period.

They lost recruits every month, with the largest number, 23, quitting in May.

The naval service lost eight recruits during training. Three each went in March and May and two left in April. By contrast, the air corps lost no recruits.

In terms of trained personnel, a total of 173 were discharged over the period. The army lost 125 and the air corps 19. The naval service, which is struggling more than the others in terms of retaining personnel, lost a further 29.

The navy is critically short of marine engineers, medics, and engine room fitters. The Irish Examiner reported earlier this week it is also lacking a third of the chefs it is supposed to have.

'A matter of grave concern'

PDForra president Mark Keane, who represents enlisted personnel in the Defence Forces, said his association has been actively highlighting the exodus since 2016 and he described it as “a matter of grave concern”. 

He said the continuing exodus across the Defence Forces certainly does not come as a major surprise to PDForra, which has 6,500 members.

“We have raised this matter at every juncture across many forums, such as the University Of Limerick (UL) Climate Survey, the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces and the 2019 High Level Implementation Plan,” Mr Keane said.

“Our members are frequently called the Defence Forces most valuable asset.

"Despite this, we have failed to see any meaningful retention policies put in place to retain them such as the provision of proper and adequate accommodation, continuous professional development, and remuneration measures,” he said.

Mr Keane said coupled with this is the need to ensure his members' security of tenure as they are currently facing a very uncertain future, with many facing the prospect of being discharged from the Defence Forces in December 2022.

Shorter-term contracts

This is called the post-95 cohort, who were given shorter-term contracts which expire at the end of next year.

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney has indicated he will look at this.

These latest [discharge] numbers clearly demonstrate the failure to stem the exodus from the Defence Forces, even during the current pandemic. 

"It's evident from the data available that we are losing new entrants at a very early stage in their induction into a military career. As recruits are the lifeblood of the Defence Forces, we need these people to complete their basic training and remain within the Defence Forces,” Mr Keane said.

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He said it was imperative that the Defence Forces break the cycle of the revolving door.

“If this is done, it will ensure that our members, who are highly skilled and motivated, can look forward to a brighter future and a long career within Óglaigh na hÉireann,” Mr Keane said.