IRELAND’S NAVAL SERVICE is operating at just 66% of its agreed upon strength and this putting increased pressure on staff.

That’s one of the findings from a parliamentary report analysing the naval service.

‘Establishment strength’ is a term used for the agreed strength of each branch of the Defence Forces, and the agreed established strength of the naval service is 1,094.

In 2016, the naval service had a strength of 1,090 – just below the establishment strength of 1,094.

However, there has been an annual decline in personnel since 2016 and as of March 2024, naval service strength was just 772, or 66% of establishment strength.

The Naval Service Reserve also only had 83 personnel, well below its established requirement of 200.

The report added that in order to achieve establishment strength, a balance must be struck between the recruitment and discharge of personnel.

However, it’s estimated that between 2012 to 2023, the naval service inducted 935 personnel and discharged 1,180 personnel – a net loss of 243 naval personnel in this timeframe.

The report noted that further data on whether discharges were voluntary, or not, and the ranks of personnel who have discharged would improve understanding of the specific challenges involved.

It added that “successive years of net personnel losses increases the pressure on available personnel, impacting on sea/shore rotation times causing further retention difficulties”.

The report also cautioned that the “high volume of turnover in staff may suggest staff with less experience are being promoted into senior roles more quickly to ensure gaps at senior grades are addressed as soon as possible”.

It noted that the naval service “competes with the army and air corps for funding” and estimated that additional funding of €35 million per year would be required to increase naval personnel to the required level.

The report also highlighted that while the Exchequer’s overall budget increased from €56 billion in 2012 to around €96.3 billion in 2024, the Defence Group accounts for around 1.5% of this spend on average.

The DefeNCE Group made up around 1.6% of gross spend in 2012, but this figure stood at 0.97% for this year.

The Defence Group was allocated €1.25 billion this year, but the report stated that had the Defence Group’s allocation remained at 2012 levels, it would have been allocated over €1.55 billion.

Meanwhile, the naval service’s eight ships could theoretically complete a total of 1,600 patrol days, but just 520 patrol days were reported last year.

On any given patrol day, the naval service can carry out a number of tasks on behalf of other State agencies such as the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, An Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners.

In 2017, there were 1,408 patrol days – the highest in a decade – but this has declined steadily since.

An increasing number of patrols are also being cancelled due to personnel issues.

The report noted that declining naval service strength, in particular since 2016, “aligns somewhat with decreased patrol days” and that reductions in personnel are a “major concern for ensuring naval vessels are available for patrols”.

From 2021 to 2018, mechanical issues were the most common reason for patrols being cancelled, but since 2018, personnel issues account for around 66% of lost patrol days.

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Matt Carthy, said the report “exposes Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s record of running down our Defence Forces over the past decade, and their failure to address the resultant crisis”.

“It starkly surmises that had Defence spending kept apace with other government departments over the last decade it would stand around €1.55 billion today,” said Carthy.

Remarking on lost patrol days, Carthy said: “Naval service personnel want to go to sea, that is why they joined the navy – effectively, failure to address the shortcomings in patrol days leads to less fulfilled personnel getting paid less, exacerbating the recruitment and retention crisis and leaving glaring gaps in our national security.”