The senior female officer apparently gave her notice in recent days amid concerns that any such hiring restrictions, however temporary and limited, could undermine the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fighter strength, the sources said. They said the agency was trying to hit “impossible” diversity targets. Defense sources accused Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston, head of the RAF, of appearing willing to compromise UK security at a time of growing threats from Russia and China to pursue albeit important objectives such as improving diversity and inclusion. One of the defense sources noted how General Sir Patrick Sanders, the army chief, likened today’s security challenges to those during the Second World War, warning that the UK was facing a “1937 moment”. “Then you look at the head of the RAF and he is prepared to break the operational requirements of the Air Force just to accommodate diversity [targets]”, the source said. “I think he needs to be pulled out of the Defense Department and told: This is the defense agenda, go ahead.” The recruitment allegations prompted a response from Rishi Sunak, one of two candidates vying to be the UK’s next prime minister. A spokesman for the Sunak leadership campaign said: “The only thing that should matter in recruitment is the content of your character, not your gender or skin colour. “That the Ministry of Defense would allow Britain’s security to be compromised by a drive for so-called ‘diversity’ is not only disgraceful, but dangerous.” An RAF spokesman disputed the claims. “There is no pause in RAF recruitment and no new policy in terms of meeting recruitment requirements within the year,” the spokesman said. “The commanders of the Royal Air Force will not shy away from the challenges we face in creating a service that attracts and recruits talent from every section of the UK workforce. “As with the Royal Navy and the British Army, we do everything we can to encourage recruitment from under-represented groups and ensure we have a diverse workforce. “The Royal Air Force has a well-earned reputation for operational excellence built on the quality of all our people. We will always seek to recruit the best talent available to us.” Read more: Fixing chronic problems with flying training was RAF chief’s ‘sole priority’ UK’s ability to train fast jet pilots in a crisis But another of the defense sources insisted there had been an “effective pause” in offering employment to white male recruits. Also, responding to Sky News questions on the matter, a Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “Operational efficiency is of the utmost importance and no one lowers standards to join the Royal Air Force. The RAF recruits for many occupations and, like other armed forces, it is determined to be a force that reflects the society it serves to protect.” No spokesman commented on the resignation of the RAF’s head of recruitment. The RAF does not normally comment on individuals. “Awakening” or “Sorrow” Successive governments have challenged all three armed services – the RAF, the army and the Royal Navy – for years to improve their diversity statistics in what has traditionally been a predominantly white, male profession. It’s a goal championed by defensive leaders. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of the armed forces, used his first public in-post speech last December to stress the importance of pushing for better diversity. She said this is not “about vigilantism. This is about sadness. The sadness of too few women. The sadness of not reflecting the ethnic, religious and cognitive diversity of our nation.” The MOD has announced that it intends to increase the proportion of female recruits in the armed forces overall to 30% by 2030 from around 12%. The RAF – which was the first of the services to open all roles to women and already has the highest proportion of women – aims to go further. She wants the proportion of women employed in aviation to reach 40% by the end of the decade – more than double the current level. The target for ethnic minorities is to reach 20% of all air force recruitment within the same timeframe, up from around 10%. However, the RAF must also recruit enough people in the right trades to meet its “operational inflow requirements” – the number of new personnel needed to ensure the service can carry out the full range of tasks it has been given to to help keep the UK and the ally safe. Read more: RAF chief says British fighter pilots ready for Russian threat UKRAF recruits don’t have to worry about passing fitness tests if tech-savvy, military chief says One challenge believed to be facing recruiting officers is that women and ethnic minorities do not usually seek to join certain areas of the service, such as the RAF’s infantry force which protects airfields. Hiring white male applicants ensures these vital roles are filled, but at the expense of diversity numbers. “The levels of ambition for ethnic targets… are absolutely insane” Senior leaders appear to be prioritizing diversity over operational needs, according to defense sources. They said the RAF’s recruitment arm has effectively been told to pause offering jobs to white male recruits in the hope that more positions can be filled by women and ethnic minorities during this financial year. “We’re all really pro-diversity and want to see better representation in the services, but… the levels of ambition for ethnic targets… is absolutely crazy,” one of the sources said. “There is no scientific or cultural background to these particular levels of ambition.” Another source called the diversity goals “impossible.” The push appears to have prompted the Chief of Recruitment and Selection – Group Leader – to hand in her notice, reluctant to carry out such a demand, the defense sources said. More generally, there appears to be a growing sense of frustration within the RAF at what some staff privately – and sometimes publicly – claim is an overly “whacky” agenda being pursued by the Chief of the Air Staff at the expense of other priorities. Defense sources noted how in his tenure since 2019, the RAF has taken steps to be more inclusive, such as changing the term for a member of the service to “airman” from “airman”, which includes gender-specific pronouns or gender neutral. on signatures and allowing staff to grow beards. Flight training in crisis But at the same time the army’s flying training system – a fundamental part of a functioning air force – is in crisis, as Sky News revealed earlier this month. Hundreds of junior pilots are either waiting for slots to open up or taking refresher courses, even as Ben Wallace, the defense secretary, has instructed Air Chief Marshal Wigston to make flying training his “single priority” for more than two and a half years. years ago. The RAF itself sparked a rare public display of internal tension last weekend. She posted her response to the Sky News report about military flying training ‘disasters’ on the official RAF Facebook page, defending the RAF’s record. “Our people are our greatest asset and we are committed to ensuring we attract and retain the best and brightest talent to meet current and future threats,” the post said. He acknowledged challenges with the training pipeline, but said work is being done to improve things. The comment elicited many incredible responses from readers. “Is this post from a parallel universe or something?” asked one respondent. Another said: “If you want to keep then you need to change things drastically at all levels within the RAF. Your people are your greatest asset. Start treating them that way.” After a few more unfriendly jabs, the RAF quietly deleted its own post.
