British Army under fire for being too ‘politically correct’

A new marketing campaign from the British Army appealing to people of different ethnicities, sexualities and faiths has come under fire from former top officials for being too “politically correct” and missing the mark.

It has been tough year for the British Army, recruitments have dropped to just 12,950 in a period that saw 14,970 service personnel leave. The Royal Navy and RAF are around 10 percent short of their annual recruitment target, while the Army is more than 30 percent.

General Nick Carter, the Chief of General Staff, told Radio 4’s Today what he saw as the cause of the problem: “Our traditional cohort would have been white, male, Caucasian 16 to 25-year olds, and there are not as many of those around as there once were.”

The new campaign pushes diversity front and centre, showcasing recruits of different faiths and sexualities. In one, a gay army medic describes his fears of joining the army, “I was really worried about whether I would be accepted,” he says, “I’m not afraid to talk about having a boyfriend. I thought I’d have to hide it.”

Yet despite the need for attracting more diverse recruits some army officials see this as nothing more than blatant pandering. Former commander of British operations in Afghanistan, Richard Kemp, told BBC Breakfast, “the army, like the rest of the government, is being forced down a route of political correctness.”

He added that in his mind the campaign was “neglecting the main group of people who are interested in joining,” and that by appealing to gays and ethnic minorities traditional young white men would be put off from joining.

Former shadow secretary of State for Defence, Iain Duncan Smith, threw his own two cents in, saying the new adverts were too negative in tone anyway. He told Good Morning Britain, “when you’re under fire the people on your left and right are your family, they protect you, you protect them, their lives matter to you. I would like to see a lot more of it couched in terms like that rather than, ‘Me, personally, can I express myself?’.”