A local TD says the crisis in the Defence Forces has deepened as more members are leaving than joining. Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Matt Carthy, has said that the crisis in the Irish Defence Forces is worsening under the current government.
Deputy Carthy was speaking after Dáil questions with the Minister for Defence, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, recently when it was confirmed that more members of the Defence Forces left the organisation in 2023 than were inducted. Mr Carthy accused the government of lacking the necessary ambition and vision required to revitalise the Defence Forces.
He said when this government came into office there were 8,659 members of the Defence Forces. By the time Micheál Martin became Minister for Defence, that number had fallen to 7,966. This week the Tánaiste confirmed that there are now just 7,550 members within our Defence Forces. In 2023 750 members left the Defence Forces, just 450 were inducted. Deputy Carthy says the crisis continues and is getting worse within both recruitment and retention.