Niall O'Connor

THE MINISTER FOR Defence has said the Irish Defence Forces will not reach 11,500 troops by 2028, breaking a key target promised by the organisation and government. 

The Commission on the Defence Forces report set a target of 11,500 as a critical part of its plan to meet what has been defined as Level of Ambition Two in the military regeneration. 

This was committed to by the government and the Defence Forces, but now Helen McEntee has said she accepts that will not be achieved.

McEntee was speaking at a press conference about Budget 2027 and the Defence and Foreign Affairs allocations. 

When asked if she believed recruitment targets would be met, she accepted that they would not be. 

“It’s a very difficult task at this stage,” she said. 

“However, what is very clear, in particular in the last two years, is that the trajectory for recruits is going in the right direction. So we’re recruiting more, we’re retaining more importantly, and there’s more people applying every year.

“So we’ve increased by 790 last year, to 850 I hope this year, and 900 the year after. So if we can continue in that vein,” she added. 

The minister also spoke about her hopes of increased civilianisation in the Defence Forces with 100 civil servants due to be recruited. McEntee explained that such a move has worked in An Garda Síochána, and she believes it will be of benefit to the military also. 

In the budget there was €340 million in National Development Plan funding. The minister said that this will cover the cost of the Primary Radar Project, which was confirmed in recent weeks. 

This would see Ireland’s first air defence systems and radar around the island to monitor the airspace and detect rogue aircraft that civilian services cannot see. 

In February the Department of Defence announced the purchase of armoured personnel carriers to replace the ageing MOWAG fleet after an agreement with the French government.

Sources have said that this could cost more than €600m, with some suggesting it may be as expensive as €900m due to the ever-increasing level of defence inflation in the cost of equipment. 

However, there was no mention of this in the budget. McEntee said that there would be “budgets beyond next year to fund our armoured vehicles”. She explained that she was looking for an increase in 2028 in the NDP provision for Defence.

The minister said she was open to exploring the EU’s SAFE defence loans – this is a money pot developed by Brussels to give long term loans of 30 to 40 years in duration.

“I would like us to be part of SAFE. I’ve made that ambition very clear. It is open again and will be for some time, albeit with a smaller figure than the last time. That’s something that I’m working on at the moment.

“I think it’s not just about accessing the funding, for me, I think it’s also about showing that commitment to European solidarity, showing that commitment to working with our European colleagues and indeed others, [like] Canada is now in it as well, when it comes to our overall security,” she added.