The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women in the Defence Forces, including the Reserve Defence Force, and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. Women are eligible for service in the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and in the Reserve Defence Force and to compete for all appointments on an equal basis and under the same general conditions as those which apply to men. All female personnel undergo the same training and receive the same military education as their male counterparts.
The minimum height requirement for both males and females had previously been set at 5' 5". However, in March 1998, I reduced the height requirement for female applicants for general enlistment in the Defence Forces to 5' 4" in light of the natural height differential between males and females and to encourage an increased participation by women in the Defence Forces.