No “knockout punch” initiative can solve the culture around the reporting of abuse in the Defence Forces, a tribunal has been told by a senior officer.
It is examining the effectiveness of processes and the culture within the Defence Forces in relation to complaints of abuse.
Col David McNamara of the human resources branch told the tribunal that no single initiative can “deliver that knockout punch” to change the culture in the organisation, which is relying on the “cumulative effect” of a series of changes.
He said there was “extreme disappointment” among senior management at the results of a recent annual survey. It showed that a quarter of members had experienced unacceptable behaviour in 2025, but 78 per cent of those did not report it due a lack of trust in the process and a fear of reprisals.
RM Block
The tribunal heard the Value Our People survey showed that, despite work to address the culture issue, unacceptable behaviour was “persisting”.
McNamara was asked by Judge Ann Power what would happen if the 2026 survey, to be published on Friday, showed similar results to that of last year.
“That may be a bridge we have to cross when it’s placed in front of us,” he said. Management “will have to sit down and have a look at what we’re doing” if there is no change.
“We rely on this data, we rely on this feedback to tell us [if] we are going in the right direction.”
McNamara provided evidence to the tribunal of changes introduced following an independent review group’s (IRG) 25 recommendations made in 2023.
Since then, 14 of the recommendations were considered implemented, with the remainder in progress.
Some were amended, such as developing a profile of a female soldier in the Defence Forces “as a basis for building an inclusive organisation that has modernised its current gender beliefs and behaviours”.
This, McNamara said, was felt to be “insufficient” to represent women in the force who hold a variety of ranks. Instead, a women-only section on an internal communication app was decided upon.
The Defence Forces were also unable to implement the IRG’s recommendation to “immediately establish an independent complaints system”.
McNamara said it had been “explored” but abandoned due to “legislative challenges” around the requirement for operational confidentiality.
A new complaints and grievances system is being developed and is due to be submitted to the Minister by year’s end.
A 12-month pilot appointment of an independent interim grievance manager, appointed by the department in early 2025, was extended while the effectiveness of the position was being reviewed. That role may be made permanent.
To address a fear of reprisals, it was hoped a specific offence of enacting reprisals would be included in an amendment to the Defence Act.
He also pointed to the appointment of a full-time gender adviser at Colonel rank, “bringing a bit of additional weight to the gender focus within the organisation”.
The tribunal was also told that the Defence Forces’ chief of staff could have the power to suspend members without prejudice from “early next year”. The powers are bundled into “triple lock legislation”, he said.
