The Government has been warned it must offer proper contracts to experienced military personnel who are facing forced retirement if it is serious about safeguarding the future of the Defence Forces.
The contracts which were introduced in 1994 mean that a cohort of sergeants and petty officers must retire at the age of 50.
This had been due to take effect initially in 2015 but has been extended several times with the latest extension due to expire in December 2024.
Mark Keane, the president of PDFORRA which represents over 6,500 military personnel, told his delegates today that these issues need to be addressed urgently to give those affected security of tenure.
The conference in Trim, Co Meath, is being attended by representatives from across the country while Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheál Martin was also present this afternoon.
Addressing the Tánaiste about the 'Post 1994' cohort, Mr Keane said: "You cannot recruit this level of experience and if you and your Government are serious about safeguarding the future of the Defence Forces, then proper contracts need to be enacted as a matter of urgency.
"Ironically, are these not the very same NCOs (non-commissioned officers) who will be needed to train those proposed increased new entrants into Óglaigh na hÉireann as laid out in the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces?
"Minister, we need you to intervene, we need you to deliver, the organisation needs these people now more than ever to ensure that the Defence Forces is saved before it’s too late," Mr Keane said.
He added that they are witnessing the "greatest exodus ever" from the Defence Forces with a current strength of 7,500 well below the agreed number of 9,500.
Mr Keane also said they could not recruit their way out of the crisis, with just 60 new recruits undergoing training at the new Joint Instructor Training Centre in Gormanston, Co Meath.
The three-day conference will also hear about 55 motions which deal with issues around remuneration, retention and recruitment.
PDFORRA general secretary Gerard Guinan also spoke to representatives about the Independent Review Group (IRG) report published in March.
It detailed a series of abuse within the Defence Forces while also setting out recommendations including the need for an oversight board.
Mr Guinan said nobody he knows who has read the report has not expressed a level of shock, sadness or anger at its contents, and that the organisation could not allow a situation to develop where they go "back to business as usual".
"We must push on for a grievance procedure that is truly independent, transparent and has adequate protections for both the victim and the accused. This cannot be achieved through having an internal system, subject to the chain of command. We must have transparency, independence and accountability," Mr Guinan said.
The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, said that the recommendations of the IRG report need to run in tandem with the High-Level Action Plan for the report of the Commission of the Defence Forces.
"This is necessary to ensure that our personnel are afforded the best equipment, training and supports necessary for them to carry out their difficult tasks. The IRG and the CODF provide us with the route towards the necessary transformation of our force where the protectors can protect and where the protectors are protected.
"It will not be tolerated and the perpetrators responsible for such actions will be held to account," he said.
Tributes were also paid to Private Sean Rooney who lost his life while serving overseas in the Lebanon last December.