An influential former military leader expressed his concern last night that RAF leaders were “pandering to political correctness” amid reports that the Air Force had essentially stopped hiring white males.
According to defence sources, recruiting of white males to meet diversity requirements for women and people of colour has effectively been put on hold, Sky News claimed.
Unknown group commander for recruiting and selection in the RAF is said to have quit recently but hasn’t completely left the organisation.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, said that top officials throughout the whole Armed Forces are increasingly preoccupied with the concept of diversity.
They have prioritised political correctness above military efficiency, which might be detrimental to our country’s defences.
“This is an example of catering to political correctness; although the Army’s diversity is vital, it’s definitely not the most important,” one person said.
The Royal United Services Institute’s Colonel Kemp, a senior associate fellow, issued the following warning: “If it becomes well known and thought that white guys will get in less readily, it will have an influence on who volunteers.”
Richard Drax, a conservative lawmaker and former Army commander who sits on the Commons defence committee, said that although he favoured more women and members of racial and cultural minorities enlisting in the military, he was “nervous of any prejudice.”
Although I have been reassured that standards have not been lowered, I believe the RAF is manipulating the quota statistic, the guy added. The police are undoubtedly discriminating since there are too many individuals applying to join them.
There is no new regulation about fulfilling in-year recruiting criteria, according to an RAF official.