Navy ships to visit coasts as part of recruitment drive

The Irish Naval Service has embarked on a recruitment drive.

It aims to boost personnel numbers from the current historic lows to the recommended minimum, and then to the sort of levels envisioned by the Government’s Commission on the Defence Forces.

The minimum staffing levels for the navy are set at 1,094, but after years of decline in recruitment, they currently stand at 752 – a long way short of the 2,000 plus which has been set as a target by the end of 2028 by the Commission.

It means that of the six patrol vessels owned by the service, along with two in-shore vessels which have been acquired for short-range use, just two are currently on active patrol at the moment, with another on standby.

This means that one will go on duty with a staffing complement of 44 and spend a month at sea before the other replaces it for another month, and so on.

“In order to meet that [commission] target we need to take on a lot of recruits,” says Cdr Brian Sweeney of the Irish Naval Service’s personnel management.

“There’s a lot of different pathways into the navy available at present, you can join as a cadet, that competition is open until 19 May.

“We’ve loads of other opportunities, be they as a general service recruit, as a direct entry technician – a wide range of different opportunities are available within the naval service at present.”

The Government recently doubled the patrol daily allowance (PDA), the money paid over and above salary to staff while on duty at sea, to make the career more attractive and try to limit people leaving before their time.

“We’ve had a tough couple of years from a personnel point of view,” said Cdr Sweeney.

“We’re currently at 752, our establishment is 1,094 and we really need to be doubling to meet the requirements of the Commission on the Defence Forces.

“In order to do and meet that we really need to increase our personnel numbers, so that’s the main purpose of today’s event.

“We’re currently operating two ships, we’re intending to increase that, we’ve one of our new Inshore Patrol Vessels, IPV, the LÉ Aoibhinn, and she should be at sea and commencing work in a couple of weeks time.

“Following this our intention is to start bringing all our other ships online over a period but in order to do that we need to increase the intake of personnel.”

Critics of the Government’s policy on defence forces recruitment and retention have pointed to the level of activities on our seas in recent times, particularly the need for patrolling of potential drug imports with several high-profile seizures over the last year.

“It’s a particularly busy time at sea off the coast of Ireland,” Cdr Sweeney said.

“There’s an awful lot of areas of responsibility that we need to be aware of as a nation.

“We’re talking about issues with sub-sea cables and protecting them, as well as the drug interdictions; fishery protection our core business; as well as a presence for search and rescue, etc, so there’s a lot of things happening off our coast which can only be dealt with if a ship is there.”

The recruitment campaign is ongoing, but will be boosted in the coming months by visits from a navy ship to different parts of the country, along the coast, such as this weekend’s berth on Albert Quay in Cork city by the LÉ George Bernard Shaw.

Hundreds of visitors, including potential recruits, turned up to see the ship, find out more about the naval service and speak to experienced personnel.

Such as Petty Officer Brian Hennessy, who is 10 years with the navy.

“I started off in the logistics branch, as a storeman, and worked my way up to the person who’s actually running the accounts and ordering the stores. I manage my division then on the ship.

“I left school in 2014 and didn’t know what I wanted with my life.

“I just had a go for it, I got in and ever since then it’s just been opportunity after opportunity. It’s great. It’s just all the benefits of being in the navy, it’s unbelievable.. Your medical card’s covered, dental, any courses you want to do, there’s so many educational opportunities.”

He said the career can be demanding but the pros out-weigh the cons.

The cons include being homesick while away at sea, but “the money’s worth it”, he said such as the doubling of the PDA while at sea.

“When you’re at sea, it’s such a good time to save.”

Officer-in-training Laoise Mulcahy always had an interest in the defence forces.

“I came straight after doing my Leaving Cert and it was just something I wanted to get straight into. You get a lot of opportunities – you’re pursuing an education while getting paid.

“From the day you join you’re given accommodation, you’re given all these opportunities to grow and challenge yourself.”

She describes the job as challenging but rewarding.

The Representative Association for Commissioned Officers in the defence forces (RACO) have long campaigned for better conditions for navy staff to prevent people from leaving and also encourage people to join.

They welcomed last year’s doubling of the PDA but say more is needed from the Government.

“There are green shoots of recovery in terms of recruitment initiatives and a massive recruitment campaign that’s been launched by the Department of Defence and the defence forces,” Lt Col Conor King of RACO said this week.

“We welcome that. We want to get behind the recruitment drive because it will be our members who are actually mentoring supervising these people and training and educating them.

“This will all be for nothing, however, unless we bring in credible and urgent retention initiatives, such as the Working Time Directive and suitable pension entitlements to ensure these people that we train and motivate, stay for a long career in the defence forces.”

The Working Time Directive would ensure guaranteed time off in lieu for staff, he said, “so people can have a proper work-life balance and therefore a long career, supported by their families”.