O'Dea wants 10,000 in Defence Forces

MINISTER for Defence Willie O’Dea has said he is committed to maintaining a 10,000-strong Defence Forces despite fears from serving personnel that numbers will drop significantly below that figure this year.

PDforra, the association representing soldiers, sailors and aircrew, said payroll cuts of €46.81 million, as outlined in the budget, could only be achieved by a cut in personnel of 300.

The association’s general secretary, Gerry Rooney, said the Government had already achieved its target of cutting the Defence Forces from 10,500 to 10,000 because of the number of serving soldiers who had left this year and not been replaced due to the recruitment embargo.

The McCarthy report had urged that the Defence Forces be reduced to 10,000 over three years. Mr Rooney said the association feared the Government had factored in several hundred more leaving this year who would not be replaced. “PDforra is concerned that if monies to meet a payroll of 10,000 are not in place then further cuts are inevitable and unacceptable,” he said.

“PDforra are calling on the Minister for Defence to reaffirm Government policy that Defence Forces strength will be 10,000 and provide the funding necessary for this. Any other action by Government will be a slight on the members of the Defence Forces who have endured pay cuts, number reductions and provided improved service – most recently during the severe winter weather conditions.”

In response, Mr O’Dea said he was committed to maintaining the strength of the permanent Defence Forces at 10,000 and had approval for that figure in the budget.

He said the payroll adjustment figure in the defence estimate was provisional and he was confident the final allocation, which would be announced next month, would be sufficient to bring the strength of the Defence Forces up to 10,000. Mr O’Dea said he also expected to be in a position to announce recruitment to the Defence Forces in the near future.