Commissioned Officers in the Defence Forces have called on the Government to reform the rights of their members to "turn the tide on force attrition".
The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) is holding its delegate conference today in Carlow and wants "swift" action to transform the Defence Forces and prevent members from leaving early.
One significant act, according to RACO, would be to implement the Working Time Directive without delay, which would stop defence personnel from working more than an average of 48 hours per week.
At the moment, the organisation said, commissioned officers regularly work up to 70 hours in a week, without the benefit of overtime or time off in lieu.
"A happy and valued workforce is your best recruitment tool," RACO president Commandant Martin Ryan will tell the Government at today's conference.
A survey taken by 55% of the RACO membership found that 97% of respondents want the Government to do more to promote and support the Defence Forces, with 95% stating there should be a full-time minister for defence.
Commandant Ryan said: "The recent successful inter-agency operation off the Cork coast was an example of all that is good in the Defence Forces, demonstrating our high levels of expertise and can-do attitude.
"Given our depleted capability in terms of personnel and the impact that this has on all other capabilities we must continue to challenge Government in the context that such an operation may not be possible in the future."
At the moment there are 7,671 personnel in the Defence Forces, below the "required strength" of 9,600, while the ambition is to reach 11,500 by 2028.
About 40% of RACO members, or 500 officers, have five years or less of commissioned service and the organisation said this has "severe implications" for governance and supervision, and increases organisation risk.
"The young men and women joining the Defence Forces today have ambition and potential, but they lack experience," secretary-general Lt Col Conor King said.
"Thrusting them into positions of responsibility to fill gaps without the time to gain that experience is a recipe for disaster."
Lt Col King said there is a direct correlation between retention and the absence of the Working Time Directive in the Defence Forces.
"Our members do not have a right to overtime or time-off-in-lieu, a fundamental right afforded to all other public sector staff.
"RACO members often work 70-hour weeks. Highly educated and experienced personnel are leaving for better conditions and work life balance in the public sector or moving outside to the private sector."
RACO wants "urgent retention measures" for instructors, medical officers and naval service personnel as well as the "immediate implementation" of the Working Time Directive and implementation of recommendations from the Commission of the Defence Forces.
