Defence Forces overseas not immune from the challenge of Covid-19

In addition to battling the demands of serving abroad during a pandemic, the Defence Forces is dealing with staffing and pay problems, as well as efforts to recruit and retain more female personnel, writes Hannah McCarthy 

Lieutenant Louise Dixon and Lieutenant Commander Nessa Maloney, who are both serving in Lebanon. Picture: UNIFIL

When the pandemic began last year, Lieutenant Louise Dixon was tasked with devising a Covid-19 decontamination training for soldiers at the Custume Barracks in Athlone.

Lt Dixon, a former ICU nurse, was then rotated to the Defence Forces’ medical core to assist with training troops if they were required to be deployed to nursing homes, which were struggling to cope with staff shortages. This mission required soldiers to understand that the people they would be working with were 'vulnerable members of society'.