Defence Forces Tribunal: Women of Honour say focus should not be 'just about gender'

Retired army Captain Diane Byrne: 'It's difficult not to feel somewhat patronised when we're hearing about basic clothing requirements for women at a tribunal established to investigate serious institutional and cultural failures.' Picture: Damien Storan/PA

The Women of Honour group has urged the Defence Forces to recognise the Defence Forces Tribunal "isn't just about gender" and should instead focus on wider issues.

Diane Byrne, a spokesperson for the group, was responding to evidence given to the tribunal on Wednesday by senior Defence Forces HR officer Colonel David McNamara.

Col McNamara cited a number of changes aimed at improving inclusivity and understanding the needs of female soldiers, such as allowing those involved in sports to purchase undergarments on a vouched basis.

Col McNamara also noted the officer responsible for diversity, inclusion, and gender issues had recently been promoted to the rank of colonel, which he said brought "additional weight to the gender focus".

Ms Byrne said: “There's a difference between introducing initiatives and actually addressing the underlying issues or demonstrating that the culture has changed.

Of course, it's welcome that the Defence Forces is addressing the practical needs of female personnel. But women have been serving for nearly 50 years. Why is this even a thing in this day and age?

“These are basic considerations that should have been addressed decades ago.

“It's difficult not to feel somewhat patronised when we're hearing about basic clothing requirements for women at a tribunal established to investigate serious institutional and cultural failures.” 

She added: “My concern is that we're already hearing a great deal about what the Defence Forces is doing now in 2026, but there's a growing sense that we haven't really got to the heart of the issues that brought us here in the first place. 

“We need to understand what went wrong, why it was allowed to continue for so long, and whether the changes now being described will genuinely prevent those failures from happening again.” 

Ms Byrne said the group was concerned that calls for reform and accountability were being overshadowed by an excessive focus on gender issues.

“The emphasis on gender initiatives risks turning this into an issue solely about women, when the problems that brought about the tribunal go far beyond gender," she said.

“Yes, we're Women of Honour, and for some, the experiences that brought us together were specific to women, but the institutional failures we've been highlighting affect men and women alike. 

We're talking about how complaints are handled, retaliation against those who speak up, abuses of authority, failures and lack of accountability, and the culture that allows these things to happen.

“Women of Honour didn't fight for a tribunal just to make the Defence Forces a better place for women. We fought for an examination of the institutional failures that allowed people to be mistreated, complaints to be mishandled, and those who spoke up to face retaliation. Those failures affect men and women alike, and that's where the focus needs to remain.” 

She added: “I don't want to belittle improvements for female personnel, but I also don't want the focus to shift away from those more fundamental issues.

Col McNamara was asked at the tribunal if he was happy with the pace of change of reform in the Defence Forces. 

He said: “You would always be happier if things were moving along more smartly.” 

Later he told Ms Justice Ann Power that “cultural change [in the Defence Forces] is protracted, not a quick fix, and we are in it for the long haul”.

However, he said recommendations that there be more extensive external and independent oversight of the Defence Forces complaints process would need legislative change to fulfil.

He said such issues “present challenges” and reform of the Defence Act.

Earlier, he also revealed the Defence Forces had discovered it was not possible to develop a single profile of a female soldier.

That was one of the recommendations of the 2023 Independent Review Group  report and designed to help the Defence Forces address cultural issues related to gender so as to build “an inclusive organisation that has modernised its current gender beliefs and behaviours”.

It was also set as a target for the Defence Forces to challenge the image of an Irish soldier being seen as “a stereotypical Irish male who can carry very heavy weights and run fast”.

The report noted: “It is a very narrow set of criteria.

“Females are not considered soldiers, not because of their lack of capabilities to do the work of soldiering, but because the definition of a soldier in the Defence Forces is masculine.” 

Col McNamara, who is involved in the Defence Forces’ new grievance management process and HR transformation, was asked by tribunal senior counsel Niall Beirne how complying with such a recommendation was progressing.

He referenced a progress document, in which it was stated: “The Defence Forces has transitioned from a single female soldier profile to a live repository of diverse female personnel.

“The DF determined a single profile was insufficient to represent the variety of ranks and roles, opting instead to create a unique 'women in the DF' space to showcase unique capabilities.” 

He said: “The recommendation spoke to the fact that the previous profile was masculine.

“The recommendation asked for a corresponding profile.

“It’s evident women occupy a diverse range of roles and a single profile doesn’t fit.”

The tribunal continues.