Navy and Air Corps fishery protection patrols halved amid staff shortages and changed priorities
Dramatic Due In Fishery Reduced Personnel Sources Irish In Security Is Greatly Said Naval To Patrols The Service Naval Mainly Service Reduction Photo: The
Navy and Air Corps fishery protection patrols have almost halved in the last two years, official figures show. It comes as the effective strength of the Naval Service has fallen to 574, compared to the 1,093 minimum strength it should have.
Security sources said the dramatic reduction in fishery patrols is mainly due to greatly reduced personnel in the Naval Service.
But sources said it also reflects increased use of technology to monitor Irish-controlled waters and a growing shift towards using available naval resources to monitor and protect critical infrastructure, such as subsea cables, from interference.
And while the collapse in the effective strength of the Naval Service has caused considerable concern, there are signs that the freefall in retention and recruitment is beginning to stabilise for the first time in years.
Regarding patrol levels, the Department of Defence Annual Report 2023 shows:
- Naval Service fishery patrols dropped from 766 in 2021 to 466 in 2023 (-39%);
- Fishery protection sightings fell from 1,131 in 2021 to 465 in 2023 (-59%);
- Boardings of vessels reduced from 284 in 2021 to 104 in 2023 (-64%);
- Air Corps patrols dropped from 155 in 2021 to 54 in 2023 (-65%);
- Flight hours fell from 721 in 2021 to 186 in 2023 (-74%)
The report said: “The reduced number of Naval Service and Air Corps fishery patrols in 2023 was due to a change in the operational posture for the Naval Service as well as the reduced serviceability of the CASA C235 aircraft and pilot training commencements associated with the new maritime patrol aircraft.”
Security sources told the the scale of the reduced patrols was linked to fewer personnel and fewer vessels at sea — but also referenced a change in priorities.
“There is a direct correlation with HR slump in numbers recruited, but more so retained,” one source said.
A second source felt the reduction was “a mixture” of capacity and redeployment. “There is a pivot from mainly fishery protection to bigger threats, for example sub-sea infrastructure and other unknown/bad actors.”
This source said Ireland was “getting serious about defence and what is going on in our EEZ”, referring to the Exclusive Economic Zone.
A third source said that, as reflected in the Defence Policy Review, maritime security was now a greater government priority. “Fisheries is one element but the emphasis is changing. The government is waking up to the fact there’s more threats and challenges in the maritime area.”
Some of the sources also said modern technology made it less necessary to do as many fishery boardings.
Asked about the reduced patrol activity and if it reflected changing priorities, Defence Forces’ HQ said: “For operational and security reasons, it would not be appropriate to disclose details of ongoing operations or the operational priorities of the Defence Forces.
“The Irish Naval Service in conjunction with the Irish Air Corps, Defence Forces Operations and the Irish Naval Service Fisheries Monitoring Centre in Haulbowline continue to remotely monitor vessels in the Irish EEZ on a 24/7 basis.”
Meanwhile, new figures show that the effective current strength of the Naval Service has fallen to 574.
There are actually 731 personnel on the navy’s books. However, untrained personnel can’t be counted in the ‘effective strength’ figures as they would not be allowed to take part in any operations in the event of an emergency.
In addition, there are more than 100 people not included in the current effective strength, as while they are trained, they are on long-term career enhancement courses. But they could be called up immediately in the event of a crisis.
However, the force may be starting to turn the tide in its long-running personnel crisis. The freefall in retention and recruitment is beginning to stabilise for the first time in years, although the service is still way off the 1,093 minimum number of personnel it should have.
In response to queries, the Defence Forces press office said that, to date this year, 70 recruits have been taken in for training and another batch of 30 are expected to commence training next month.
That would mean inductions should reach 100 by the end of the year, which is far healthier figure than in previous years.
In addition, there are 18 officer cadets in training, which is the highest in a long time and a considerable contrast to last July when just two were inducted into the force – which was the lowest number in more than 30 years.
A private company is to be employed by the Department of Defence to carry out further recruitment drives for the Naval Service in an attempt to bolster personnel numbers even further.
“The Naval Service aims to enhance its operational capacity through ongoing recruitment initiatives. The current figures indicate a commitment to increasing personnel numbers and improving overall readiness,” a Defence Forces spokesman said.
However, he refused to say when more ships might become operational. Earlier this year, the revealed that only ship is patrolling our waters at any one time because of crew shortages and mechanical issues with other vessels of the fleet.
“It is important to note that the Naval Service does not provide comments on the operational deployment of ships, maintaining operational security regarding specific missions or assignments,” the Defence Forces spokesman added.