15 recruits became full members of the service in 2022, while 11 passed out at a ceremony last Friday.
The service is meant to have around 1,100 personnel, however the current strength is 770, with fears that number could fall significantly when 220 members reach the end of their contracts in September.
Earlier this week, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin acknowledged there were no "quick fixes" to reversing the recruitment and retention crisis and says the government is looking at ways to encourage more people to join and stay in the naval service.
Speaking to RedFM News, Mark Keane from PDFORRA says the loss of the people nearing the end of their contract could a huge blow to the service:
