Defence forces recruitment campaign launched

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney launched a new recruitment campaign for Army General Service Recruits  today.

The campaign is seeking to recruit young men and women from all backgrounds and ethnic groups who possess a strong sense of duty, enjoy working as part of a team and are looking for a rewarding career.

Personnel recruited in the current campaign will have significant opportunities for training and development, serving in a wide range of missions and operations at home and overseas.

Minister Coveney said “maintaining Ireland’s defence capacity means that we need to recruit young people who are committed, adventurous and enthusiastic and who will bring that energy to ensure that we continuously reinvigorate the modern Defence Forces.”

He stated that he was “also committed to ensuring that we have a Permanent Defence Force that fully represents the modern Ireland in all of its dimensions, including gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation and the current campaign will endeavour to reach out to all those groups”.

The new recruitment competition will be run through a centralised online application system on the Defence Forces Website www.military.ie. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, September 4.

Applicants for recruitment to the Army will be required to complete a range of assessments including physical fitness, psychometric tests, an interview and a security check. To be eligible individuals must be over 18 and under 25 years of age on the closing date for receipt of applications.

The Army enlist about 350 general service recruits a year. Minister Coveney said he was committed to keeping the strength of the Permanent Defence Forces at 9,500.