Sir, – Conor Gallagher's excellent piece "Everything, from the first day they pick up the rifle, builds up to today" (News, July 15th) gives a clear insight into how hard recruit training is in the Defence Forces is.
The hard work and commitment by the recruits are to be commended. The Defence Forces certainly do offer a life less ordinary for people looking for adventure and and a different type of work. Unfortunately the issue of retention is a serious problem for the Defence Forces. Given all the effort and cost in bringing a recruit to three-star standard, it makes no sense to have such a high turnover rate. The crisis in the Defence Forces must be addressed. I hope that the new Government and Minister will see fit to addressing the serious crisis in defence, and implement badly needed reforms to pay and allowances, and conditions of service. The loyalty and commitment of the Defence Forces need to be recognised by Government. The Defence Forces need to be properly resourced to face potential future threats, such as in the area of cybersecurity. It’s time to fix defence. – Yours, etc,
CONOR HOGARTY,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.