Minimum height set to stop recruits getting hurt

In 2006, the then defence minister Willie O’Dea lowered the minimum height requirement for the Defence Forces to increase the number of women applying.

He did so on the back of a report which said the requirement could be cut to 5ft 2in (imperial) or 157.48cm (metric) but no further. Essentially, this was because of the “personal load carrying equipment” soldiers would be expected to carry in combat. The report said the average weight carried by soldiers conducting close reconnaissance was 50kg. “It follows that the [Defence Forces] should not employ persons who cannot carry a defined operational load.”

There was also a medical study into recruit training injuries which pointed to a link between injuries sustained in training and the height of the candidate.