Army to RELAX security checks for recruits, boost diversity

The British army chiefs have been told to relax security checks for new recruits in a bid to boost diversity and inclusion in the armed forces.

Recruitment targets have apparently been consistently missed by the British armed forces, despite ethnic minorities making up 14 per cent of the regular army already.

A leaked document, titled The British Army’s Race Action Plan, suggests the army “struggles to attract talent from ethnic minority backgrounds into the officer corps”.

The document is understood to represent the latest guidance and suggests that security clearance vetting is “the primary barrier to non-UK personnel gaining a commission in the Army”.

Edward Stringer, a retired Air Marshal, said that while serving in the Royal Air Force, he raised concerns “at the highest levels” against the action plan.

He told The Telegraph: “Good commanders have always valued diversity of thought, and that tends to come from a diversity of background.

“Making sure all voices can be confidently heard is a duty of military leadership: to create a genuinely meritocratic, inclusive environment where people can think critically, often under pressure.

“Identity politics can subvert this, inserting segregation into the team, and replacing critical thinking with critical theory.

“These concerns were raised at the highest level.”