The Irish Naval Service will today launch a new recruitment campaign involving interactive online videos.
The 'Navy Career Explorer Videos' were developed with Irish company Trainify and are designed to give people a behind-the-scenes look at life in the navy.
The videos let viewers explore 12 different roles that are required to make a naval vessel operate and carry out its duties.
"Each role is brought to life by the people who do the job every day," the Naval Service said.
"Through real conversations and real-world footage, viewers see the work, the responsibilities, the teamwork, and the opportunities on offer, helping them decide where they might fit and what a Naval Service career could mean for them," it added.
Staffing levels at the navy have increased in recent years to around 850 but that is still below the minimum requirement of 1,094.
Defence analysts say shortages of key personnel mean the navy has difficulty putting its full fleet to sea.
"There are eight naval ships in the Irish Navy at the moment," said Cathal Berry, a former Independent TD and former member of the Defence Forces.
"On a good day you could probably put three or four to sea, so there is a big issue for sure."
"The entire cost of all those ships is about a quarter of a billion euro so we do have quite a lot of money, State assets, lying fairly idle in Cork at the moment and it is primarily down to people that we don't have like key specialists and technicians to actually put a ship to sea," Mr Berry said.
"You need radar operators, you need mechanics, you need communications specialists, and if you don't have them you can't legally put to sea," he added.
A Defence Forces spokesperson said Naval Service staffing levels have significantly improved in the past 12 months.
"Challenges in the recruitment and retention of personnel in the Naval Service are well-documented and a wide range of recruitment and retention initiatives have been introduced to address these," the spokesperson said.
The Defence Forces said that of the navy's eight vessels, two are presently in operational reserve, and one is completing fitout requirements and will commence patrolling later this year.
"All remaining ships are regularly deployed on maritime defence and security operations," the spokesperson said.
Concerns have been expressed in recent months about the navy's equipment and resources when it comes to counteracting drones and defending undersea cables.
Defence Minister Helen McEntee recently said that counter-drone technology will be in place before Ireland's presidency of the European Council which begins in July.
"We do need to invest in our equipment and our capabilities," Ms McEntee told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Monday.
"That’s why the financial plan, the capital plan that I published just before the end of the year, very clearly focuses and refocuses our attention to our investment in radar, in sonar and in counter-drone technology," she added.
