The Irish Naval Service faces the immediate prospect of having to send its ships on patrol without functioning weapons due to an almost complete lack of qualified personnel.
The ordnance section, which is responsible for the upkeep of naval weapons, including large deck-mounted cannons, is now down to just a single technician.
The second to last technician put in their discharge papers last week. They are on pre-discharge leave before their formal departure early next year.
As recently as last year, the section consisted of nine highly trained technicians, who are known as weapons artificers or, informally, “tiffys”. It takes a minimum of three artificers to service a ship’s guns before it goes out on patrol.
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Each vessel’s weapons, including the rifles and pistols carried by sailors, must be inspected and issued a “fit-to-fire” certificate before it goes on patrol. The reduced number of trained personnel means there have been occasions this year when inspections of small arms have not been fully completed.
The worsening crisis now means it is likely the Naval Service will shortly also be unable to certify the larger deck-mounted guns, rendering them unusable at sea.
The Department of Defence on Thursday announced the highest recruitment levels in six years as a result of increased allowances and wages. For the first time since 2017, there will likely be a net increase in military personnel, albeit a small one. However, it will take many months to train these recruits as naval technicians.
Plans have been put in place to fill the personnel gap by rehiring former artificers on civilian contracts but it is unclear if this will be successful. A similar approach has also been taken to fill vital roles in the naval electrical section.
The Army’s ordnance section is under similar pressure after several key personnel left to work in the Garda firearms unit and private sector.
Consequently, the Army has been obliged to hire private contractors. Military sources said it costs up to three times as much to hire a private civilian to perform a role usually undertaken by military personnel.
It is understood tiffys have been departing for the private sector for a variety of reasons, including a lack of internal training and promotion opportunities, issues with the management of the unit and better pay and conditions in civilian roles.
Most naval ships are armed with a large 76mm gun, which cost about €6 million each, two smaller 20mm cannons and up to six mounted machine guns.
A Defence Forces spokesman said that it could not comment due to the operational nature of the query.
It is rare for Irish ships to fire their guns during patrols, but not unheard of. As recently as last year, LÉ William Butler Yeats fired its main gun across the bow of the MV Matthew during a drug operation which uncovered about €157 million of cocaine.
In 1973, the Naval Service fired shots across the bow of the Claudia, which was being used to deliver arms and ammunition to the Provisional IRA. In 1975, LÉ Fola fired across a Russian intelligence vessel disguised as a fishing trawler, while in 1985, LÉ Aisling fired about 600 rounds during a five-hour pursuit involving the Sonia, a Spanish fishing trawler.
Naval sources said while it is rare a ship’s weapons are used outside training, they remain a vital deterrence.
“If you’re ordering a trawler to halt their engines and you’ve nothing to back that up, they’re liable to just ignore you,” said a naval officer.
Mark Keane, president of PDForra which represents enlisted Defence Forces personnel, said retention of ordnance staff is a critical issue in the Naval Service.
“Their experience and expertise are vital. We are facing a competitive job market as skilled ordnance personnel often have transferable skills that are in high demand in the private sector, leading to attrition due to better pay and benefits elsewhere.
“We need to implement retention strategies that must focus on addressing these systematic challenges to ensure the Naval Service retains skilled personnel.”
