Naval Service Recruitment Improves but Falls Short of Ambitious 2028 Targets
Personnel numbers rise to 784 but service needs over 1,000 additional sailors by 2028
The Naval Service has seen improved recruitment in 2025, with personnel strength rising to 784 from 719 at the end of last year, though the service remains well short of ambitious government targets.
A total of 156 recruits have been inducted into the Naval Service up to October this year, 59 more than the 97 inductions in 2024. This continues steady improvement from a low base of 68 recruits in 2023 and just 28 in 2022.
However, current strength remains significantly below the establishment figure of 1,094 that the service should maintain. More challenging still, it is unclear how the Naval Service will achieve the target set by Level of Ambition 2 in the February 2022 Commission on the Defence Forces report.
LOA 2, adopted by the government, sets a new Naval Service establishment figure of 1,794 by 2028, requiring 1,000 additional personnel between 2026 and 2028, or over 330 on average per year. This would be net of inductions minus discharges, requiring recruitment well in excess of 1,000.
Last year marked the first time in many years that recruitment exceeded discharges, with 97 recruits compared to 75 departures. By the end of August this year, there had been 33 discharges, though the total for the full year is not yet clear.
Defence Minister Helen McEntee told the Dáil that doubling the Naval Service patrol duty allowance and extending the Naval Service tax credit had assisted retention and recruitment, along with pay increases. She said applications to join the service increased by 30 percent to October 31 this year, reaching 2,591 compared to applications for all of last year.
Sinn Féin Cork South Central TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire highlighted problems retaining and recruiting specialist staff, particularly marine engineer officers. He cited the 63rd Naval Service class where six cadets commenced training but only two were commissioned, with the four who withdrew citing extended service commitments as the primary reason.
“Specialist numbers within the Naval Service are critically low despite targeted recruitment,” Ó Laoghaire said, adding that marine engineers are operating at half-strength. He noted that the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers had recommended a service commitment scheme for critical roles.
McEntee said there had been 19 direct entry inductions into specialist roles this year.
Naval Service patrol days have more than halved in five years, from 1,061 days in 2019 to 790 in 2022, 520 in 2023 and 428 days in 2024. The trend appears set to reverse this year, with 349 patrol days recorded by the end of August.
The Defence Forces have reportedly been finalizing a Naval Service Regeneration Plan for the minister’s consideration for some time. It is expected to set out courses of action to increase the number of ships at sea.
The department states the Naval Service has a fleet of eight vessels, with four “available for operations.” LOA 2 envisages a fleet of nine operational ships by 2030, requiring significant investment in both vessels and personnel to achieve the government’s ambitions for expanded naval capability.