Examiner.ie - Defence forces is 'overcommitted overseas', causing worsening manpower issues - 21 Jan 22



Defence forces is 'overcommitted overseas', causing worsening manpower issues 

According to military management, in 2020, almost 25% of the deployable army strength was deployed overseas.

 

More and more Defence Forces personnel are being forced into overseas service to plug gaps caused by ongoing manpower shortages, especially in specialist roles.

That is according to RACO general secretary Commandandant Conor King who says this could lead to greater domestic pressure, increased burn-out, and result in further people quitting the country's military, which is already short around 1,000 of its supposed minimum strength.

Following the 2012 reorganisation of the Defence Forces, it lost a brigade. That, added to increasing retention issues, means more personnel are being 'forced' to go on peacekeeping missions.

RACO, which represents officers, heard delegates at its recent annual conference say the current number of officer appointments overseas is unsustainable, and in some cases has caused considerable domestic issues for the people involved because they've been mandatorily forced to deploy.

Around 130 officers are serving in 16 missions, the largest number being in Lebanon and Syria.

Often these vacancies are filled at the last minute.

Cmdt Conor King said the retention crisis has resulted in a significant impact on the increased frequency with which personnel are required to travel, with an increased reliance on mandatory selection and its associated damage to morale and family life.

According to military management, in 2020, almost 25% of the deployable army strength was deployed overseas.

Overcommitted overseas

“Put simply, the Defence Forces is overcommitted overseas,” Comdt King said.

RACO maintains the normal operation of units and proper management personnel at home should not be sacrificed to fill appointments overseas.

The association maintains an honest appraisal of missions and appointments overseas could lead to a slight decrease in the numbers deployed, which would provide for improved management and governance at home.

Now there are vacancies in certain units which have already deployed overseas.

The Irish Examiner understands that the 119th Battalion, which recently deployed to Lebanon, should have had one sergeant, two to three corporals and a minimum of five privates to fill mechanic roles; currently, it's believed the battalion has just one sergeant and one private serving in these roles.

Both RACO and PDForra are prevented from talking about specific operational issues, such as this.

However, PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan made a general comment on the whole issue.

Caught in a 'vicious cycle'

“We are caught in a vicious cycle with personnel leaving corps units which is resulting in increased mandatory selection for our members to travel overseas,” he said.

Mr Guinan said that some members of specialist units are suffering more than others because of personnel shortages in their sections.

These include transport specialists, ordinance specialists, and Air Corps technicians. 

They also impact on medics and armoured personnel carrier drivers, who operate heavy vehicles.

“PDForra has put forward a number of suggestions to alleviate this, including greater acting up (to unfilled rank positions overseas) in order to alleviate these difficulties,” Mr Guinan said.

RACO said the heart of this problem is inadequate numbers in the Defence Forces, which is driving up workload, driving down job satisfaction, and impacting retention.