Simon Harris said he had met with his senior leadership team on Monday 'for a very detailed and frank discussion about how we can do more' to address these issues, as personnel are the Defence Forces' most vital asset. Picture Colin Keegan/ Collins
Irish troops use the optic of a Javelin Anti Tank weapon at Camp Shamrock near the border with Lebanon and Israel where Irish Defence Forces troops are serving with the Unifil peacekeeping mission amid escalating clashes between the IDF and Hezbollah. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Irish Defence Forces members have been involved in overseas peacekeeping since 1958
The exodus of highly-skilled personnel leaving the military for better pay in the private sector is one of the big-ticket items at the PDForra conference in Killarney. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews
Mark Keane, the outgoing President of PDFORRA, was speaking ahead of the opening of the group’s annual conference in Killarney today.
Important Notice - PDFORRA HQ 03 April 2025
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, congratulates five foreign-born Naval Service recruits who passed out from training in 2021. They are Luis Eduardo Espindola Caldas (Brazil), Filip Bezjuk (Croatia), Ansoumane Firkins (Guinea), Raul Muresan (Romania) and Daniels Tuceks (Latvia). There are now 244 foreign-born recruits from 31 countries in the ranks of the army, navy and air corps.
PDFORRA has been asked to assist in the circulation of the 'Value Our People Survey'
PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan confirmed the number of successful applicants his association had represented to date on the WTD claims. File picture
PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan said relative to their counterparts in other armed forces, 'there is a shortfall in the rates of pay that our special forces members earn'. File picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie
The Irish Defence Forces were exempt from laws governing leave, safe rest periods and break times.
Mon, 13 Jan, 2025 - 07:29
Figures from November show we only have 7,447 troops.
A file image of Defence Forces members. Alamy Stock Photo
General Secretary of PDFORRA Gerard Guinan said: 'The message being sent out is that running services into the ground is the only manner by which you will receive funding. File picture: Paul Mealey
THE MANDATORY RETIREMENT age for members of the Irish Defence Forces has risen from 60 to 62 years old as of today, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has announced.
The maximum retirement age for members of the Defence Forces, firefighters, and prison guards is being raised from 60 to 62 from today.
Defence Minister Micheál Martin and Irish Defence Forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Seán Clancy. Photo: Niall Carson/PA
PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan said previous complaints about assaults, bullying and harassment were allegedly not dealt with satisfactorily by military management.
In the first half of this year, 338 personnel left the Defence Forces while just 240 were recruited. The army now has only 5,959 members, some 1,500 less than the minimum strength. Picture: iStock
Other members forced out after trying to raise issues through Army complaints process
Private Billy Kedian made sure 11 of his colleagues successfully got into the safety of bunkers when his post came under fire n South Lebanon in 1999.
