A staggering 167 members of the Irish Defence Forces have gone AWOL - absent without leave - so far this year, the highest in a decade.
This is 61 cases more than last year and almost double the total for 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Former Defence Minister Simon Coveney revealed the figure, which is the highest recorded in the past 10 years, but gave no explanation as to why it is happening.
Each of the cases are being investigated by the military police and the alleged culprits face a court martial.
There is no breakdown of how many are members of the army, navy or air corps.
The Defence Forces have been riddled in recent years by low morale and large numbers of members leaving caused by low pay, poor conditions and long hours at sea for the navy.
The soldiers and sailors are seen as the poor relation of the public service compared to gardai and prison officers, who are paid way more.
The Government has increased basic pay, improved allowances and conditions during the past year but failed to stop the AWOL numbers.
Mr Coveney told Patricia Ryan TD, the Sinn Fein member for Kildare South who raised the issue: "Absence without leave from the Defence Forces is a disciplinary matter provided for in Defence Forces regulations.
"Members are subject to Military Law at all times and may be tried and punished by Court Martial.
"Each absence is managed on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate military authority and requires a thorough investigation. Such an investigation may result in some absences recorded during 2022 being discounted."
There were 167 cases recorded from January to October 31, 2022. There were 106 AWOL in 2021, 64 in 2020, 82 in 2019 and 133 in 2018 and 152 in 2017."
Soldiers convicted of going absent without leave have been placed in detention without pay or fined several weeks' wages.
One member who was previously missing for 509 days or over a year and a half was fined 10 weeks' wages.
There are currently over 8,000 members in the Irish Defence Forces.
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