The Defence Forces may have to advertise for civilian personnel to fill overseas posts with the United Nations because of short-term shortages in some technical areas.
The Chief-of-Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen Gerry McMahon, has said he would prefer to use personnel from the reserve forces, the Forsa Cosanta Aitiuil (FCA), who have the required skills for serving abroad.
However, there is opposition to the use of reservists by staff associations representing regular military personnel. Representatives have referred to the proposed selection of reservists as "yellow-packing".
This is rejected by senior military sources who point out that there are highly qualified reservists who easily meet the selection standards for service abroad.
Lieut Gen McMahon said yesterday he was particularly concerned about a shortage of paramedics for service with the Irish Battalion serving in south Lebanon with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
He said there were particular problems in raising the required number of volunteer paramedics from the regular Defence Forces for service with the last UNIFIL battalion, which went to Lebanon last month.
Now there is concern that the regular Defence Forces might be unable to provide a sufficient number of paramedics from its ranks for the next battalion which is due to replace the present one in October.
Service with UNIFIL is voluntary, and Defence Forces management do not wish to order, or "detail", regular soldiers with paramedic skills to serve in Lebanon if they do not want to.
"I have to ensure that my soldiers have proper paramedical back-up one way or other, whether they have to be detailed or contracted," Lieut Gen McMahon told The Irish Times yesterday.
"There have been shortages before in Lebanon, but the recruitment problem in the Defence Forces has been solved and the past two battalions have excellent levels of new recruits.
"The problem we are facing is in technical areas where we need highly-trained soldiers from medical orderlies to APC [armoured personnel carrier] drivers, fitters and cooks.
"I have a number of options in a situation like this.
"Legally, since 1960, I can detail anybody, but I don't like doing it, and it has only taken place in one or two cases. I can detail, but our peacekeeping has always been supplied with peace-keepers who are volunteers."
New Army regulations which allow members of the FCA to serve abroad are being considered as part of the overall reform of the Defence Forces structure.
Consultants' recommendations on the structural reform of the Defence Forces say there should be a "first line" reservist force of 2,500 to 5,000 part-time troops who could be inducted into the regular force either for service abroad or in cases of national emergencies.
However, the proposed change in the regulations to let reservists serve abroad is understood to have attracted opposition from the representative associations.
Senior military sources say the consequence of opposing the recruitment of reservists will be the contracting of civilians with the required skills.
This already takes place in the case of doctors who are contracted for a year's service, given a month-long preparation course and sent to Lebanon. If there was another shortage of paramedics or soldiers from other technical areas, the Defence Forces would be forced to advertise for civilians, a senior source said.