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According to a Sky News report, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) has slowed down hiring white male candidates to adhere to diversity targets.
According to multiple defense sources, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the RAF’s commander-in-chief, appears ready to jeopardize national security to promote diversity.
The report comes amid growing concerns over the U.K.’s lack of preparedness for war. The RAF is reportedly short-staffed by nearly 1,000 pilots and 3,000 aircrew.
To meet its diversity goals, the RAF has been actively recruiting women and minority candidates. In 2018, the RAF announced that it was looking to increase the number of female pilots from 10 percent to 25 percent by 2023.
The head of RAF recruitment, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty, reportedly quit her post in protest over the RAF’s hiring policies. She is said to be concerned that the RAF is not prioritizing quality over quantity when it comes to its recruits.
The RAF has denied that it has halted the recruitment of white males, saying that it “welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.”
However, the defense sources told Sky News that the RAF’s hiring policies are having a “chilling effect” on white male applicants.
The RAF is not the only branch of the British military to face criticism for its diversity policies. The Army has also been accused of lowering its standards to meet targets for female and minority recruitment.
The RAF is not the only branch of the British military to face criticism for its diversity policies. The Army has also been accused of lowering its standards to meet targets for female and minority recruitment.
In 2019, several senior female soldiers quit in protest after the Army implemented a new policy that allowed for the recruitment of soldiers with lower physical standards, including those who could not do a single proper push-up.
Critics have argued that such policies put lives at risk by lowering the overall fitness and combat effectiveness of the military.
Prime Minister hopeful Rishi Sunak: “The only thing that should matter in recruitment is the content of your character, not your sex or the color of your skin. That the Ministry of Defence would allow Britain’s security to potentially be put at risk by a drive for so-called ‘diversity’ is not only disgraceful, it is dangerous.”
The RAF delivered a response: “There is no pause in Royal Air Force recruitment and no new policy with regards to meeting in-year recruitment requirements.
“Royal Air Force commanders will not shy away from the challenges we face building a service that attracts and recruits talent from every part of the UK workforce. As with the Royal Navy and British Army, we are doing everything we can to encourage recruiting from under-represented groups and ensure we have a diverse workforce.
“The Royal Air Force has a well-earned reputation for operational excellence that is founded on the quality of all our people. We will always seek to recruit the best talent available to us.”
