On Wednesday, 25th March 2026, ARCO met with the Minister for Defence, Helen McEntee TD, and Department of Defence officials at Trinity House, Dublin. ARCO was represented by its President, Major-General Maureen O’Brien, Captain (NS) Dave Barry, and Lieutenant-Colonel John Kirke. ARCO expressed its appreciation for its access to the Minister and gave a short outline of the organisation in terms of current membership, numbers and objectives. The Minister welcomed the delegation.
Office of Veterans’ Affairs. Maureen O’Brien stated that ARCO was very pleased with the establishment of the OVA in November 2025 and looked forward to working in partnership with that Office. Unfortunately, that partnership was tested when the Work Plan 2026 was agreed without input from Veterans, despite ARCO requesting involvement. Nevertheless, we consider that the Veteran’s Strategy 2018 agreed by all Veterans’ groups does provide a handrail for the way forward.
Pensions. While ARCO acknowledges that parity is being maintained for the duration of the current public service agreement, it has concerns about the lack of clarity surrounding the 1% Local Bargaining element and the maintenance of the parity principle into the future. As members of the Alliance of Retired Public Servants we will continue to advocate for the continuation of parity.
Single Pensions Scheme. It was pointed out that the number of officers falling under the Single Pensions Scheme continues to increase and the number with legacy pensions is decreasing. The Single Pension system has had, and continues to have, an adverse effect on retention in the Defence Forces. it is also of interest to ARCO as a growing number of our members are subject to its provisions. We remain in contact with RACO on this matter.
Pension Abatement. Maureen O’Brien outlined ARCO’s awareness of the Retired Enlisted Members Association (REMA) submission on Pension Abatement, and that, in terms of encouraging Defence Forces members to seek employment in the Public Service it was a major disincentive. Dave Barry outlined some specific instances of state agencies in the marine area where it can result in a financial penalty on promotion and thus de-incentivise advancement. ARCO therefore supports the general thrust of REMA‘s case to review Abatement for Defence Personnel.
First Line Reserve (FLR). Dave Barry stated that ARCO welcomed the regeneration of the FLR for officers and has a growing cohort of members who have volunteered to be commissioned into the FLR. These can offer significant experience and expertise to the Defence Forces. He listed three specific issues raised by our members:
- Transition. Some applicants have experienced extended delays in being appointed, with limited feedback on progress. While ARCO understands there is a particular difficulty with FLR records on the Personnel Management System, extended delays could inevitably lead to a loss of interest by potentially very valuable assets.
- Representation. ARCO understands that the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association has made a submission to the Minister to represent officers of the FLR. ARCO sees this as a sensible option. FLR officers have real-life issues related to their service but no access to the formal representation processes.
- DFR R1 updating. ARCO asked what progress was being made on this. We recommended that a pragmatic approach should be taken on issues until R1 is revised.
Discussion. The Minister agreed that the FLR was a significant resource and that work is in hand across the Department and the Defence Forces to regenerate that resource. This requires a significant amount of work across culture, regulation, procedure and practice. The Department has looked at how Reserves worked in other jurisdictions and it is clear a broad range of Legislative and Regulatory drafting and amendment is needed. This is in hand. ARCO stated that while it was accepted that legislative change is a lengthy process, and DFR revision less so, the FLR is up and running and action can be taken to address immediate issues while awaiting full legislative revision.
Closing. Maureen O’Brien took the opportunity to express ARCO’s appreciation of the work of Ms. Joan Connaghton and her colleagues in the Pensions Branch in Galway for their early responses to our queries and their proactive approach. The Minister thanked ARCO for its ongoing support and welcomes their contributions to the challenges the Defence Forces are currently encountering.
