Defence Forces Chief of Staff warns that specialised personnel are not paid enough

Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said: 'Despite extensive efforts, staffing challenges have persisted as a competitive commercial aviation market has targeted this highly specialised, highly trained stream within the Air Corps.' File picture

The Defence Forces chief of staff has said the State is not paying highly specialised military personnel enough money for them to stay in the army.

Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said that while he recognised much had been done to pay soldiers more money, “a disparity between the pay rates of highly specialised military personnel and their civilian equivalents remains”.

He was speaking at a special sitting of the Oireachtas committee on defence and national security to deal with recent revelations that Irish military flight operations at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel in Dublin are to move to part-time hours, and may even have to cease entirely due to severe staff shortages.

The cuts could impact rescue, medical, and policing services.

As a result, Tánaiste and minister for defence Simon Harris, got Cabinet approval to immediately extend a current service commitment scheme — which includes annual bonus payments of around €22,000 to Air Corps pilots who agree to stay longer — to air traffic control personnel.

Lt Gen Mulcahy said: “Despite extensive efforts, staffing challenges have persisted as a competitive commercial aviation market has targeted this highly specialised, highly trained stream within the Air Corps."

While I wish to acknowledge the significant uplift in the remuneration package for the Defence Forces in general over the last number of years, a disparity between the pay rates of highly specialised military personnel and their civilian equivalents remains.

“This disparity makes it extremely difficult to retain the services of such personnel, including trained ATS (air traffic services) personnel.

“This is the reality of the environment the Defence Forces and indeed the wider public sector are operating in."

Dublin Bay North TD Tom Brabazon asked what can be done to make sure the air traffic control issues do not emerge again, as they have on three occasions since 2010.

Department of Defence Secretary General Jacqui McCrum said in reply that the Department of Defence is to carry out a peer review of how other militaries around the world operate their own air traffic control systems.

In her opening address earlier, Ms McCrum said: “The challenges facing the Air Corps in retaining air traffic controllers has changed significantly since 2021.

“We have seen an increase in commercial activity in terms of there being other opportunities for air traffic controllers in Ireland.

“It’s a fact that there is a growing shortage of air traffic controllers globally.”