The process of appointing a Defence Forces Ombudsman will begin before the end of the year, the Minister for Defence has said.
Mr Smith was responding to recommendations in an independent report on the way the Defence Forces respond to bullying, discrimination and all forms of harassment, including sexual, among its ranks.
The report, Response To The Challenge of a Workplace, is a progress report on the 2002 report Challenge of a Workplace, which identified harassment as a serious cause for concern in the Forces.
The report, which was published yesterday, says: "the need for an Ombudsman became more apparent" as the group assessing progress carried out its work. "The appointment will be an important step forward."
Mr Smith said the necessary legislation to make it happen would be implemented by "mid October".
"Progress to an appointment to the post will begin immediately after," the Minister added.
The 2002 report was commissioned in response to an "emerging concern among senior management in the Irish Defence Forces regarding hostile or negative work practices".
It found "the extent of the unacceptable behaviour reported by both men and women was greater than expected".
Bullying was experienced by 26.5 per cent of those who were surveyed. Almost 70 per cent of women in lower ranks said they had been bullied.
The just-published report said the danger that military training could "drift into the realm of unacceptable behaviour" was constant.
"Therefore it must be accepted that there will never be an end to the task of shaping and policing behaviour."
The Minister said the correct policies and procedures would be implemented "as quickly as possible" and he gave his Department's commitment to a further review no later than 2007.
The report calls for the complete separation of "supposed punishments" and training. Such "punishments" should not be used to "toughen up" an individual or group.
It also calls for clear criteria in how decisions affecting an individual's progress and career are made. "Bad practice can flourish in a vacuum where both decision-maker and subject may have widely differing expectations of how a system should operate."
Another of the six recommendations suggests "major communications programme" and continuous communications training should be introduced.
