THE Defence Forces can hit the Government's target of adding 5,000 soldiers by 2028, military reps claim.

But PDFORRA says new measures like long-serving loyalty bonuses are needed.

Ireland’s military is currently at a record low strength of just 7,500 – 2,000 soldiers below the required establishment.

The Government have committed to trying to reach a target of 11,500 troops by 2028 as part of the recommendations from the recent Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces.

A retention and recruitment crisis has long plagued the Defence Forces who have struggled to attract and keep soldiers due to various issues around pay and conditions.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin claims that there has been significant progress in addressing pay issues in the military with recruits now capable of earning €38,000 in their first year with free healthcare also put in place for all soldiers.

The Defence Minister also claims that there is early signs that the number of people in the military has stabilised and is beginning to grow for the first time in years.

The Fianna Fail leader today addressed the annual conference of PDFORRA – the group that represents enlisted members of the Defence Forces.

President of PDFORRA Mark Keane told the Irish Sun that he believes the Defence Forces could actually hit the ambitious recruitment targets over the coming years if retention issues are addressed.

He warns that well trained soldiers are leaving for high paid jobs in the private sector – an issue he believes could be addressed by a loyalty bonus to incentivise long careers in the military.

PDFORRA’S Mark Keane said: “You get people that are coming up to these milestones and they are at a cross roads and they don’t know whether they want to stay or go and that could be a deciding factor for them.

“After being with the Defence Forces for a number of years, a lot of people have acquired skills that are in demand in the private sector but if we can show them that they are appreciated here and will be remunerated – that will help with retention.”

'We can do this'

Asked if the Defence Forces can hit the ambitious recruitment targets set out for the coming years, Mark said: “If we use the tools we have.

“If we take the recommendations from the Commission on Defence, if we take the recommendations from the High Level Implementation Plan, if we act on those and implement them we can alter the course of the ship.

“We can do this. We can do it. We have given long years of service both at home and abroad in the Defence Forces – we take no pleasure out of seeing the numbers fall.

“But hopefully we can change things. We need to see some change.”