Defence Forces overseas not immune from the challenge of Covid-19
Lieutenant Louise Dixon and Lieutenant Commander Nessa Maloney, who are both serving in Lebanon. Picture: UNIFIL
When the pandemic began last year, Lieutenant Louise Dixon was tasked with devising a Covid-19 decontamination training for soldiers at the Custume Barracks in Athlone.
Lt Dixon, a former ICU nurse, was then rotated to the Defence Forces’ medical core to assist with training troops if they were required to be deployed to nursing homes, which were struggling to cope with staff shortages. This mission required soldiers to understand that the people they would be working with were 'vulnerable members of society'.
The training “was a big example of the army stepping up and adapting their training", said Lt Dixon. "It shows the resilience of our soldiers and how we can help any sector of society that needs it.”
The experience of Lt Dixon, who is currently deployed overseas as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s Irish-Polish Battalion, highlights the demands that the Government’s Covid-19 response has placed on the Defence Forces.
These new challenges add to existing ones regarding pay, work conditions, and the implementation of the Defence Forces' Third Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (3APWPS), which addresses the recruitment and retention of female troops, who represent just 7% of the force.
To continue with the implementation of 3APWPS, the Defence Forces “had to adapt and overcome” challenges raised by Covid-19, says Commandant Gillian Collins, the gender, equality, and diversity adviser for the Defence Forces.
Lieutenant Commander Nessa Maloney, who is serving alongside Lt Dixon in Lebanon, was previously the recruitment officer for the Naval Reserves. She thinks a lack of understanding of the different roles that it is possible to have in the Defence Forces is one factor dissuading female recruits.
Lt Dixon says that the Defence Forces needs to appeal to women who are interested in physical roles, as well as more academic and administrative roles.
Lt Dixon joined the Defence Forces in 2017 as one of 21 female cadets in her class — the largest female intake by the Defence Forces. The relative gender balance in the class meant women were seen simply as soldiers rather than “female soldiers”, she says.
The inclusion of LGBTQ people and people from diverse backgrounds is also important, says Lt Dixon, whose entire cadet class volunteered to march in Dublin Pride with Defend with Pride, the Defence Forces’ LGBTQ network.
Lt Cdr Maloney and Lt Dixon also both emphasise the extent to which gender-driven changes, such as family-friendly overseas policies, have also benefitted male soldiers.
Comdt Collins also recognises that “a gender perspective will not always be present simply because a female soldier is present”.
Male soldiers, as well as female soldiers, have been allocated responsibility for gender and equality issues within the Defences Forces and two of the six gender advisers and gender focal points in the Defences Forces are men.
Aisling Swaine, UCD professor of gender studies, notes that the Defence Forces has appointed gender advisers at senior levels who have served in peace operations globally and that “without that commitment, many of those operations would simply not have had gender expertise that is essential to ensure the mission responds to realities of the conflict”.
Lt Cdr Maloney and Lt Dixon’s training before their UN deployment to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and monitor the Blue Line that divides South Lebanon and Israel was conducted under strict Covid-19 measures.
Soldiers were allocated to pods for living and studying, meals were all socially distanced, as was any training that was not provided online.
The soldiers were also required to undertake two-week quarantine periods both in Ireland and on arrival in Lebanon.
Mixing among troops is strictly limited at the UN base and in-person contact with the local community has been minimised, which has reduced opportunities for building local relationships and knowledge.
UN civic teams are still delivering donations, and joint patrols with the LAF are being conducted in vehicles rather than on foot. However, masks and social distancing have made communication more difficult.
Vaccines have not yet been arranged for Lt Cdr Maloney and Lt Dixon, nor have they been told when to expect them.
The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the livelihoods of women in Lebanon, many of whom are employed in the informal sector, while reports of domestic violence and the severity of the violence involved have also increased.
Lt Cdr Maloney and Lt Dixon both recently received specific training on how Covid-19 has affected women locally.
“The way the conflict is affecting women in Syria is not the same as how the conflict in Lebanon is affecting women,” said Lt Cdr Maloney, who believes WPS is still a priority but is hampered by the inability to properly liaise with the local community.
- Hannah McCarthy is a freelance journalist based in Beirut.
