No top-brass women in Defence Forces

THE number of women in the Defence Forces has almost doubled in the last six years, but no female officer has been promoted beyond the fifth-highest rank of lieutenant colonel.

Figures from the Department of Defence show there are 493 female personnel in the permanent Defence Forces, 249 more than there were at the end of 1997. Of these, 406 women are in the army; 21 are in the air corps and 66 are in the navy.

However, the figures reveal that no female staff member in any division of the Defence Forces has progressed beyond the rank of lieutenant colonel, a title held by just one woman in the army. The highest rank reached by women in the air corps and the navy is captain. The majority of female military staff retain the rank of officer.