Offices resign from military life as policies make it 'not family friendly'

The Department of Defence is not adopting family-friendly policies and this is one of the reasons why so many officers have resigned in the past two years.

A number of countries provide military servicemen with family homes which are close to their bases, particularly Britain.

But the Department of Defence in recent years has moved to close off this option to officers.

A major rationalisation of the Defence Forces in 2012/2013 saw the closure of a number of barracks, the disbandment of one brigade and relocation of units.

The result is that many officers are now forced to travel huge distances from their homes to their posts. Officers are travelling from Donegal to Dublin and from Cork to Newbridge.

Because of fatigue and the cost of fuel many have no option but to sleep in barracks overnight and sometimes all week, not returning to their families until the weekend.

They are also charged for sleeping in the barracks and officers say that in many cases the charge is over the top because the accommodation is so poor.

Army officers in particular are having to endure substandard accommodation in barracks which were built by the British. Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) general secretary Earnan Naughton said many of them were draughty and cold.

“You could wake up some mornings and it would be so cold in them you could see your own breath. If people are being forced to relocate then they shouldn’t have to pay for the accommodation away,” he said.

He said officers could not uproot families and move to Dublin because they could not afford houses there.

Comdt Naughton said international best practice for armed forces “is to support the military family”.

These supports include providing suitable accommodation on a new posting, embracing travel time in the working week, efficient administration of travel, and meal costs for those forced to be separated from their families and partners.

Comdt Naughton said the department’s failure to identify and adequately provide support policies to reduce the additional hardships of Defence Forces personnel contradicts the theme recognising that “our people are our greatest asset”.

“In contrast to the support provisions available to other international military personnel in an effort to support the military family, our [RACO] members are currently frustrated by outdated policies.

"Rather than support personnel who have been forced to continually relocate from home stations, our members face unnecessary hardships which include; indefinite relocation and posting timelines.”

He said officers are being relocated, on occasion with notice as short as one week, without any consideration of personal circumstances.

“Our members do not receive appointment duration or a return date to their home post. They are unable to reasonably plan normal family affairs.”

He said officers are subjected to situations where military management approve claims and the civilian side denies them, “often based on questionable interpretations of outdated regulations and policies that have failed to move with the times”.

He said when such disputes arise officers “are out of pocket while removed from their family homes, causing additional financial stress.”