Ireland unable to send soldiers to train Ukrainian troops due to lack of Defence Forces volunteers

Ireland has been unable to send soldiers to train Ukrainian troops since last year due to a lack of Defence Forces volunteers.This is despite the Government agreeing to extend the participation of the Defence Forces in the EU’s military training mission for Ukraine for another two years. Between 2023 and 2025, Defence Forces personnel have trained Ukrainian troops in demining, battlefield medical care and combat engineering. [ Path to peace in Ukraine ‘will not be easy’, says Ursula von der Leyen Opens in new window ]However, no training has taken place this year due to a refusal of the Department of Defence to pay allowances to troops taking part.READ MOREThe Defence Forces also train troops in basic weapons handling and marksmanship. Twenty-four individual training missions have taken place, each lasting six to seven weeks. About 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by Irish instructors, according to figures provided by the department.The development comes as the Government welcomed some 50 European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to Dublin this week and pledged to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia for as long as it takes.[ EU summit: Leaders demand all hands on deck to fund Ukraine aid packageOpens in new window ]“They deserve our support, and they deserve our help to keep their society going,” said Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Thursday.One Irish training mission, comprising about 12 instructors, was due to take place in Germany at the start of 2026. However, this was delayed after no Irish soldiers volunteered due to the allowance issue.The mission was delayed until May before being cancelled entirely, military sources said.Until this year, soldiers taking part in the training missions received subsistence allowances of €150 a day to cover food and living expenses. However, the German military then stated it would feed the Irish soldiers, prompting the department to cease payment of the allowance.This caused considerable anger among Irish personnel. They complained the German rations were poor quality and they still had to buy their own food.It is understood the Defence Forces has since prepared a business case for the department to pay the instructors the basic overseas peacekeeping allowance of €96 a day. But this has not been acted on.The Defence Forces continues to have difficulty in staffing many roles and operations due to personnel shortages.An Irish Times analysis published today shows defence was the only sector of Government where a decline in personnel was reported in the last decade. The biggest increases in staff occurred in health and education.The department’s “miserly approach” to Ukraine mission is causing “untold damage internally, and has damaged our reputation internationally”, said Lieut Col Conor King, chairman of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers.Jack Power looks at how Ukraine is turning to the EU to solve the €45 billion hole in its finances. Video: Enda O'Dowd & Alan Betson He said the department “seems to believe that members of the Defence Forces should work for free. No other public servants would accept this treatment from Government. This approach to personnel welfare impacts morale, dignity and retention at a time when we are told that people are our most important asset.” Cabinet approved the extension of the mission earlier this week after the Council of the European Union announced the training would continue up to 2028.Minister for Defence Helen McEntee received approval for the participation of no more than 30 Defence Forces personnel on the mission.This includes three officers who are permanently located in mission headquarters in support roles.The department has been contacted for comment.