Representative organisations of members of the Irish Defence Forces have strongly criticised pending government legislation that would forbid such organisations for questioning or expressing an opinion on “the merits of any policy of the Government or a minister of the Government or on the merits of the objectives of such policy”.
The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) has decried aspects of the Government’s Defence Amendment Bill as “unnecessarily draconian, repressive and restrictive.” RTE has reported.
The Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence will hear from a representative group of Defence Forces members to express their concerns with the new bill.
This latest controversy proving the ire of members of the Defence Forces comes at a time when the Irish military finds itself in a dire recruitment and retention crisis.
In response to failing to attract new recruits or retain serving personnel the Defence Forces have announced soldiers can wear makeup and jewellery while on duty and has begun re-education programs to weed out “toxic masculinity” and promote diversity.
These efforts have so far, failed to stem the exodus of soldiers, sailors and airmen or significantly increase the numbers of new recruits.
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