UK Air Force defends ‘pause’ on recruiting white men to satisfy ‘diversity’ quotas

At present, RAF candidates can be advanced to training immediately after they meet the requirements of the "first past the post" type-system, rather than being merited on how well they perform in certain stages of the process, reported the Daily Mail.

Air Vice-Marshal Maria Byford, chief of staff personnel and air secretary in charge of RAF recruitment, said that recruiting more women and non-whites would result in "a better service in the long run."

Byford, one of the most senior ranking women in the military, told The Times that she had "slowed down" the recruitment process for all candidates after failing to meet diversity quotas.

"I want the best people," she said. "So I need the best people to join to achieve the best they can during their service career and we get... what we need from an operational capability perspective."

"And if I can include more women and more people from different backgrounds in that, I think I have a better service in the long run," she continued. "We are unashamed about doing that because I think that's a good thing."

The Vice-Marshal, who has served in the force for over 30 years, said the RAF will look at how to use "positive action" legally so recruits who have passed the basic requirements to join the force can be selected on merit as well as their gender and ethnicity.

Earlier this week, RAF sources alleged to the Daily Mail that an unnamed female head in the RAF recruitment department resigned in protest over an "effective pause" in hiring white men.

The unidentified sources also claimed that the RAF was attempting to hit "impossible" diversity targets.

However, the Ministry of Defence tweeted a statement, claiming that there is "no pause in RAF recruitment and no new policy with regards to meeting in-year recruitment requirements." Two tweets later, the Ministry said that "the RAF is doing everything it can, alongside the Royal Navy and British Army, to increase their recruiting intake from under-represented groups."

British conservative political commentator Father Calvin Robinson, who is black and left the church over wokeness in leadership, voiced his concern with the diversity requirements, stating that the military's purpose is to protect society.

The RAF has also faced backlash on its diverse recruitment efforts from former military personnel, as well as politicians, who have raised concerns on "pandering to political correctness."

"This idea of diversity now dominates the thinking of senior leaders in all of the Armed Forces, said Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan. "They have become seized by the need for political correctness over the need for combat effectiveness and that could be damaging to our national defenses."

"This is an example of pandering to political correctness, the diverse make-up of the army is important but it's definitely not the most important," he continued.

Colonel Kemp, a senior associate fellow at military think-tank Royal United Services Institute, warned "If it becomes widely known and believed that white men will get in less easily that will have an effect on who volunteers."

Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid said that it would be "complete nonsense" if the RAF has paused recruitment of white males.

"I don't think any organization, whether it's the RAF or any other public or private organization, should be recruiting on the basis of one's race," he said to Sky News. "Of course, we want to see a diverse workforce, we want to see all talents come through… and I happen to think having more diversity actually increases the productivity of your workforce. But it should not be based on race - whether it's black, white or anything."