One woman soldier anonymously informed an inquiry into harassment and bullying in the Defence Forces that she was raped but was too afraid to report the incident, it emerged yesterday.
Two other women respondents and one man said that they had been the subject of attempted rape.
The inquiry of the External Advisory Committee on the Defence Forces was set up last year by the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, after The Irish Times published details from an earlier survey on sexual harassment of women in the military by retired Army captain, Dr Tom Clonan.
The report, published yesterday, found that 30 per cent of women soldiers, who make up only 4 per cent of the Defence Forces (which has a strength of around 10,700), had experienced sexual harassment.
It also found that victims of harassment and bullying felt they could not achieve any remedy through the internal complaints system.
Mr Smith said yesterday he is fully implementing recommendations from the report that an independent monitoring group be appointed to monitor sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation. This group would be headed by Dr Eileen Doyle, who headed the inquiry leading to yesterday's report. It will make a further report two years from now.
Dr Clonan said yesterday that senior Army management had "serious questions to answer" as they had been aware of his research since it was completed and lodged, at their orders, in the library at Dublin City University in November 2000.
He said: "The General Staff have serious questions to answer in relation to this and on their whole response. They have known about this since November 2000 - that is 17 months ago and the bullying is still going on."
The report published yesterday concurred with Dr Clonan's findings on high levels of sexual harassment experienced by women in the military. During his survey he also came across three women who said they had been raped.
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt Gen Colm Mangan, yesterday said the military was not an unsafe environment. He said he was "disappointed" at some of the findings of the report. But he was encouraged by a number of factors which indicated that the Defence Forces are of good morale, returning high ratings of satisfaction with the job, conditions of work, colleagues and superiors.
"The report," he said, "provides us with a wealth of statistical information but, more importantly, it gives us the vital detail and a strategic basis to go forward and ensure that we don't continue any unacceptable practices."
The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, said for many years there was a "reluctance to face a variety of difficult issues in the Defence Forces".
He added: "However, the speed and openness with which this problem is being faced suggests that attitudes are changing."