Over 3,500 recruits needed to meet target for Defence Forces

More than 3,500 people will have to be recruited to the Defence Forces to meet Government targets, according to the latest Department of Defence Annual Report. Picture: Gareth Chaney/RollingNews.ie

More than 3,500 people will have to be recruited to the Defence Forces to meet Government targets, according to the latest Department of Defence Annual Report.

It comes as the body representing commissioned officers has said that the recruitment and retention crisis in the Defence Forces has now escalated to a “retention catastrophe”.

The annual report states that as of 31 December 2022, the strength of the Permanent Defence Forces stood at 7,977 – 1,523 short of the sanctioned strength of 9,500.

The report said that the Government announced in July 2022 that it was implementing the second of two options – Level of Ambition (LOA) 2 - laid out by the Commission on the Defence Forces, which reported that February.

“This will entail multi-annual funding increases, commencing in 2023, to reach a defence budget of some €1.5b by 2028, index linked to inflation with incremental increases in Defence Forces personnel numbers of some 2,000 over and above the current establishment of 9,500,” the report said.

Combined, this means that a total of 3,523 people will need to be recruited to meet the Government’s target – not factoring in personnel who have left this year.

The ongoing reduction is reflected in the decision this month to half – from four to two – the number of operational vessels in the Naval Service, down from nine ships in 2021.

The report said the actual strength of the Defence Forces at the close of 2022 broke down to 6,478 Army personnel, 709 Air Corps personnel and 800 Naval Service personnel.

The report said that a range of recruitment and retention campaigns were underway and that 435 personnel were inducted in 2022, including 329 army and 21 navy.

It said that on foot of completing training (24 weeks) recruits start at €37,147, school leaver cadets begin at €41,123 and graduate cadets start at €46,406.

The report also shows that the strength of the Reserve Defence Force was 1,798 personnel at the end of December, compared to an establishment figure of 4,069.

In their foreword, which highlighted the tragic death of Private Sean Rooney in Lebanon, Department of Defence secretary general, Jacqui McCrum, and Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sean Clancy noted “significant challenges” during 2022.

It noted that in a calendar year, around 20% of the Army served abroad in missions overseas, which it said was an “exceptional figure” by international standards.