Defence Forces to 'mothball' two navy ships due to escalating staff shortages
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Two additional navy ships are being “mothballed” because of the escalating shortages in staff to man them, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has revealed.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Martin said the strength of the Defence Forces is well below the target of 11,500 force members. On December 31, 2022, the Permanent Defence Force was 7,987 the Tánaiste revealed, with the figure falling considerably in recent months.
Mr Martin said the force strength in July 2022 was 8,194; 8,146 in August; 8,103 in September; 8,074 in October and 8,049 in November.
“We have previously acknowledged and I acknowledge that the current staffing difficulties in the Naval Service are very serious. I received a briefing yesterday from military management and met with them on their proposed recruitment strategy for 2023,” Mr Martin said.
He added that recruitment was notably lower in 2022 than in previous years and this briefing outlined how the Defence Forces military management proposes to counter this trend.
The reported in October last year that the navy would be forced to tie up two large patrol vessels and mothball two smaller ships it purchased from New Zealand if immediate steps are not taken to recruit fully-trained engine room specialists to crew them.
With regard to the Naval Service, Mr Martin said it has been decided that the LÉ Róisín should be placed into operational reserve with effect from January 31, as should the LÉ Niamh once its mid-life refit is completed later this year.
Mr Martin said this is aimed at stabilising operational delivery while assisting in regeneration by prioritising the training and development of existing Naval Service personnel.
He said the standing down of the two vessels will not affect the navy's ability to fulfil its current maritime security and defence commitments including commitments provided under the current service level agreement with the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency.
In response to the specific challenges in the Naval Service, a comprehensive naval service regeneration plan is being progressed and monitored by a high-level civil and military team, he said.
“The aim of this plan is to address issues, including human resource matters, facing the Naval Service. This is in addition to ongoing general service and direct entry recruitment, and a tender competition for a specialist recruitment body to target individuals with the skills and expertise that are required by the Naval Service,” Mr Martin added.
Labour Party defence spokesman Brendan Howlin said the reality is that whatever has happened to date is not working.
“We have been talking about the haemorrhaging of staff for a very long time and we are now at a critical level,” he added.
"Is it the Tánaiste's objective to reach 11,500 members of the Permanent Defence Force and how is it going to happen? We are going backwards now, with two additional ships mothballed,” Mr Howlin said.
In response, Mr Martin said the first priority is to get back to the 9,500.
“The situation is not good right now in terms of the Naval Service in particular. The numbers are simply too low. We need a radical look at the entire organisation of the Naval Service in the context of recruitment and retention. It is simply not tenable right now in terms of the issues,” he said.
Mr Howlin asked how many naval vessels are actually patrolling our waters right now.
“Before we get to 11,500, when does the Tánaiste expect the interim target of 9,500 to be achieved?” he asked. Mr Martin said it could take up to three years to get the force numbers back up to 9,500.
He said the Naval Service currently has a fleet of six vessels. The LÉ Niamh is in the process of a mid-life refit which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.