Preasráitis
Tánaiste welcomes boost in Defence Forces recruitment
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin today welcomed the highest levels of growth in Defence Forces recruitment in six years.
Inductions to the Army, Air Corp and Naval Service are due to reach 708 by the end of 2024, a 69% increase on 2023 levels.
Significantly, this is expected to be the first year since 2017 to experience a net growth in numbers of Defence Forces personnel, following a raft of new recruitment and retention initiatives.
These include increased levels of starting pay for recruits, free private healthcare for all personnel, a doubling of patrol duty allowances, extension of the Naval Service tax Credit, and an increase of the mandatory retirement age to 62.
Welcoming the progress, the Tánaiste said:
"The significant progress made in recruitment and retention across our Defence forces over recent years is very welcome.
"We have turned the corner on recruitment, and I look forward to further progress in the transformation of our Army, Air Corps and Naval Service in the years to come.
"I want to pay tribute to the ongoing innovation by senior military management and the Department of Defence on the structures and methodology of recruitment and retention.
"The courage and dedication of our UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon in recent months reminds us of the pivotal role our personnel play in domestic and global affairs.
"That is why we will continue to invest in people, equipment, infrastructure and the command-and-control structures to create a Defence Forces ready to face the challenges of future years.”