The head of the Defence Forces is to appoint a "gender advisor", an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, said that - while that appointment was being processed - he was designating "a senior female officer to provide a broader perspective at weekly and monthly general staff meetings".
He was appearing before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
Women make up 7% of Defence Forces personnel, he noted, which was "a capability gap", and needed to be addressed.
"I cannot undo the past," he said, acknowledging that there was sexual abuse, including rape, in the armed forces, and added that he believed that these offences had been occurring "much further" back "than 23 years".
But he vowed to "to work night and day" to improve the wellbeing of his staff, and "to change the culture within the organisation".
Lt Gen Clancy said that he was awaiting the Independent Review Group (IRG) report into sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment and discrimination in the Defence Forces.
"It will be stark, I have no doubt about that," he said, but promised that "there won't be any pushback".
"We will get on with it, and get forceful about implementation," he said.
After a slowdown during the pandemic, Lt Gen Clancy revealed that 2022 "saw the resumption of an upward trend of voluntary exits".
The turnover rate of 10.72% last year "cannot be addressed by recruitment strategies alone", he said.
There were now 7,917 personnel in the Defence Forces, of which almost one fifth were deployed overseas, "the army primarily", which is the highest proportion in Europe, Lt Gen Clancy said.
The Government has established a target of 11,000 personnel.
Independent Senator Tom Clonan asked for an apology from Lt Gen Clancy for what he called "a great deal of reprisal that was highly targeted" against him and his family following a review he carried out into abuses in the Defence Forces, from 1996 to 2000.
Lt Gen Clancy replied, "I would be more than happy to consider that and to discuss it with you."
"I'd be delighted to meet you any time," Mr Clonan said, "I do take great comfort in your words."
Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Charlie Flanagan, Fine Gael, noted that the meeting would take place, at Lt Gen Clancy's invitation, outside the committee, and wished them well with it.
