Defence Forces strength 'still less than' 70% of target 

'Our current combined strength is reportedly 3,500 below this required strength, at approximately 8,000 personnel of all ranks, including both fully trained and untrained — this is still less than 70% of the required 2028 establishment.'

The Defence Forces is still less at 70% of the strength it is supposed to have by 2028, the association representing officers has said.

At the annual conference of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (Raco), Lieutenant Colonel Conor King welcomed the increase in the defence budget for 2027, to just over €1.6bn.

The general secretary said this represented an 8% increase, and not the stated 10.5% increase, as it included the €12m “unfairly stripped” from the 2026 defence budget to pay the Department of Education’s overspend.

Addressing defence minister Helen McEntee, Lt Col King said the record budgets for defence in recent years were coming from a “concerningly low base”.

He said: “We cannot ignore the fact that inadequate staffing levels in our operational units remains a pressing concern.” 

He said the stated ambition under the 2022 Commission on the Defence Forces, was for the strength of the Defence Forces to reach 11,500 by 2028.

“Our current combined strength is reportedly 3,500 below this required strength, at approximately 8,000 personnel of all ranks, including both fully trained and untrained — this is still less than 70% of the required 2028 establishment,” he said. 

He commended the minister for securing €1.6bn for 2027, but added: “Money buys equipment. It does not, by itself, deliver people. And people are the capability.

“The pay allocation provides for a strength of up to 8,300 by the end of 2027.”

He said to the minister: “On budget day, you acknowledged that this target will be missed by a long way. We respect your candour, but we must be equally candid about what it means.

“It means primary radar, helicopters and armoured vehicles eventually arriving into units that lack the people to command, crew, and maintain them. It means the same officers carrying more duties, longer hours and less supervision. It means the gap between ambition and reality is widening, not closing.” 

He added: “And defence spending remains around 0.2% of GDP, by far the lowest in Europe.” 

He said it was “critical” that the recently seen stabilisation of strength numbers was built upon through further recruitment and retention initiatives, including a “significant improvement” in cadets' pay, better pension arrangements for post 2013 personnel, and a review of specialist pay.

On Ireland’s presidency of the EU, Lt Col King said officers who took part in Operation Fianna and the Joint Task Force supporting An Garda Síochána did not receive the basic allowance paid to more junior personnel working alongside them.

• Cormac O’Keeffe, Security Correspondent