Long-neglected Naval Service strength 'starts to creep up'

So far in 2025, 37 personnel have been inducted and are set to begin training in two weeks. File picture: Larry Cummins

Naval Service strength is set to rise to over 760 as the next batch of recruits commences training this month.

It marks an improvement on last year when numbers dropped to a low of 719 – but security sources stress it is “early days” in the recovery of the service. Naval Service (NS) numbers are still more than 300 short of what they should be under department levels (1,094).