Defence Forces losing personnel

UNIQUE AMONG Government departments and agencies, the Defence Forces have, unexpectedly and unintentionally, hit a McCarthy report target in the reduction of numbers.

However it is not good news for the department or for Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea, who said the personnel ratio had dropped “quite precipitously” from 10,500 to 10,081.

Fears that gratuity lump sums may be taxed in the budget may have contributed to the exit of extra personnel this year.

Fine Gael defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan has warned that the command structure “will be damaged” and could potentially put lives at risk on overseas missions. If the trend continued, numbers could fall to 9,500 by the end of 2010.

Mr O’Dea rejected the allegation and said the forces “retain the capacity” to undertake home and overseas missions. However, he said it would be a “significant challenge” to keep it that way.

He had made a detailed submission to the Minister for Finance to be allowed to “recruit people, at least to replace the people we are losing at least, until the Estimates process concludes and we decide whether or not to implement the recommendations of the McCarthy report in whole, in part or not at all”.

The McCarthy report on cutting public spending recommended that Defence Forces numbers be reduced to 10,000 in up to three years. However, the Minister said the Defence Forces, like any military organisation, had a very high turnover rate, exacerbated by the recruitment moratorium.

During defence questions in the Dáil, he said 25 officers retired so far this year before reaching the mandatory retirement age, while a further 23 retired on age grounds.

Of enlisted or non-commissioned personnel, 228 retired before the mandatory age and 47 retired on age grounds. Including figures for deceased personnel, a total of 335 people left this year.

He secured sanction for the recruitment of 42 Army and Naval Service cadets and for 62 “acting-up” positions for those in Chad and Kosovo. He had also received sanction for a deputy chief-of-staff post and two brigadier general positions. Ten non-commissioned officers had also been commissioned.

Labour defence spokesman Brian O’Shea congratulated the Minister on the Army and Naval Service cadet recruitments, which were “an achievement”, but he was concerned at no recruitment to the Air Corps for the past two years. It seemed to be a “major issue” that gratuity lump sums would be taxed in the budget, and he asked if there was a trend towards more people retiring towards the end of the year.

Mr O’Dea did not know the details of the time pattern of retirement. “I cannot offer any words of reassurance or otherwise” on the issue of gratuities.