18 May 2025
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie

Military Politics

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD, has said that the failure of government to heed the warnings of representative organisations has created a crisis within the Irish Defence Forces which has worsened each year under successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments.

File photo of two Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) at the Naval Service at Haulbowline Naval Base.

Speaking while the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris is attending the annual conference of the Defence Forces’ representative association, PDFORRA, which begins later this afternoon in Killarney, Co. Kerry, Deputy Ó Laoghaire warned that the recruitment and retention crisis had entered a crucial phase that, if not addressed, poses a serious risk to our Defence Forces.

Teachta Ó Laoghaire said:

“The government have repeatedly failed to heed the warnings of representative organisations such as PDFORRA. The result is a crisis in the Irish Defence Forces that was worsened each year under successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments along with their coalition partners.

“That crisis has now entered a crucial phase which poses a serious risk to the future of our Defence Forces.

“Sinn Féin have been in consistent in raising the ongoing neglect by government of the Defence Forces and I am calling on the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence today as he addresses more than 100 members of the Army, the Naval Service and the Air Corps at this year’s PDFORRA conference to ensure that Ireland has a Defence Forces that is fit for purpose.

“We have heard a lot about defence spending in recent times. The truth on the ground though, is that our Defence Forces are in a precarious position, because of government underfunding.

“We currently have less than 8,000 in the permanent defence forces, well below establishment, not to mind the 11,000 recommended, under stage two of the Commission on Future of Defence Forces.

“Morale is appallingly low amongst the rank and file and it is a source of extreme frustration to see the neglect of the Defence Forces by this government.

“In recent weeks and months, we have heard a lot of big speeches and announcements, lofty promises and big commitments.

“I welcome that the Defence Forces are finally getting some attention but from talking to Defence Forces personnel, they have heard this all before.

“They have heard big talk and small follow through. The reality is big speeches won’t put boots inside the barracks door, only proper resourcing and resolving the terms and conditions and income of Defence Forces personnel will do that.

“The men and women of the Defence Forces deserve better than what they have seen from the last government.

“Over the last three years, the Government’s Budget has missed the additional capital funding targets set out in the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces. In 2022, they underreached the ambition by €70 million, in 2023 they underreached it by another €70 million, and in 2024 they underreached it by €30 million’.

“We also see more than 900 people recruited to the Defence Forces since 2020 left within five years.

“We’ve had the embarrassing situation where ships have been put to sea with no functioning main gun because of a lack of specialist staff to deliver that.

“Our Defence Forces are effectively at rock bottom in terms of morale and seriously struggling in terms of recruitment and retention.

“The Tánaiste today is expected to outline to delegates, plans by the Government to increase spending on defence. I would urge the Tánaiste to listen and act on calls for greater efforts to be made to retain staff in the Defence Forces.

“The pay and conditions of Defence Forces members are directly related to the retention issue and unless this is finally addressed, we will continue to see the crisis in our Defence Forces worsen under this government.”