Financial sweeteners aimed at stemming the rapidly declining Naval Service numbers have failed, making it increasingly difficult to carry out key roles such as sea fishery protection and search-and-rescue operations. The 'restricted' communication, seen by the Irish Examiner, has further fuelled calls for an urgent response from the Government to tackle the deepening retention crisis in the Naval Service, which is currently operating without four ships. However, officers say those have failed to 'arrest the spiraling turnover'. The president of PDForra, Mark Keane, which represents 6,500 enlisted members of the Defence Forces, said: “The Naval Service is in grave danger of floundering if drastic measures are not taken immediately. How more desperate does the situation have to become before the government steps in and addresses these critical issues?”The minimum strength of the Naval Service is supposed to be 1,094.

Source: Irish Examiner May 22, 2021 05:26 UTC