Defence Forces oversight body criticises lack of information on ‘inappropriate behaviour’

A Government-appointed oversight board has criticised the Defence Forces for not alerting it to incidents of inappropriate behaviour within the ranks.

The External Oversight Body (EOB) was created on a non-statutory basis last year to monitor cultural transformation in the Defence Forces following a report detailing allegations of widespread harassment and bullying in the organisation.

The body is one of several initiatives from the Government and the military to reform the Defence Forces’ internal culture, improve its complaints procedure and make it a more attractive employer, particularly for women.

However, despite these efforts, the body said it has identified several critical areas where the Defence Forces continues to fall short.

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Its latest report said engagement from the Defence Forces with the oversight body “is not yet at the required level”.

The report said the body was not provided with information regarding “significant incidents of inappropriate behaviour” before such incidents appeared in the media. This is despite such matters being “explicitly within the remit of the EOB”, it said.

The report was published on Wednesday but completed in May, before controversy erupted over the number of serving Defence Forces personnel with pending criminal cases.

The oversight body complained that its “role and expertise” have not been recognised in a number of instances, “even though such recognition would have enhanced the outcome.

“The EOB strongly recommends that a more respectful, collaborative approach that recognises the role of the body, be adopted at all levels, particularly as it moves on to a statutory footing,” the report states.

The Government is progressing legislation to make the EOB a statutory agency. However, the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO), which represents Defence Forces officers, has said it will not co-operate with the body over concerns about its independence from the Department of Defence.

In its report, the body also raised concerns that individual Defence Forces members are sceptical that there will be any real cultural change within the organisation.

Following interviews with personnel, it said there is “no sense of significant cultural change taking place and low confidence levels that such change will happen”.

There is also a consistent lack of confidence in the Defence Forces’ complaints process, with personnel fearing repercussions and breaches of confidentiality if they were to air a grievance, it said.

“The body is concerned at the slow pace of change and is of the view that there is an urgent need for acceleration of initiatives aimed at transforming the culture.”

Following consultations, the EOB said it has recommended an interim replacement for the complaints procedure while a more permanent system is put in place. This would involve the appointment of a HR expert, from outside the organisation, at the rank of Colonel who would handle internal complaints independently and outside the chain of command.

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