PC Armed Forces not fit for purpose, rages Collins over obesity statistics

IRAQ war hero Colonel Tim Collins has claimed political correctness has turned the UK’s Armed Forces into a “shambles”.

The Belfast-born former commanding officer of 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment made the comments after it was revealed that 17,602 Army, Navy and Air Force personnel have a body mass index of over 30.

Some 11% of Army personnel alone are overweight.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Col Collins (right) questioned whether anyone has been kicked out, forced to undergo extra training or been given “a few choice words” to digest as a result of the situation, which he branded “disgraceful”.

“I very much doubt it, because in today’s world the Army is a ‘non-judgmental’ and supportive organisation,” added Co Collins, who came to global attention for an eve-of-battle speech in Kuwait in 2003.

“Instead of imposing stricter discipline, it has put 96 soldiers on diet pills, while eight have been given liposuction — this lame official response tells you all you need to know: the British Army has been infected with the crippling disease of political correctness,” he wrote.

The veteran accused senior Army commanders of priding themselves on being “liberal, welcoming and all-inclusive” instead of focusing on being “feared and respected” in a desperate bid to get “diversity awards” and knighthoods. “At least the secret is now out: our Armed Forces are a shambles,” he wrote.

He also blamed the obesity problem on an epidemic of junk food and rampant drug abuse and slammed the practice of giving soldiers discharged for drug use £10,000 “golden hellos” for cleaning up their act and rejoining.

And he criticised outsourcing company Capita for turning a 90-day recruitment process into a year-long episode as he warned the drive to “promote gender issues and celebrate diverse sexuality” comes at a cost.

The retired officer called for urgent action to address “ineffectiveness”, but added: “So far, there has been a whiff of cowardice in the air.”

He also revealed that an Army guidance note has been circulated “in an attempt to silence officers” concerned about training videos relating to Muslims, members of the LGBT community and other “sensitive” individuals.

He claimed the note warns that anyone who reacts negatively to the videos may face disciplinary or administrative action.

“The message is clear: say nothing about the naked emperor,” he stated.

Col Collins also warned that the UK’s “lack of battle-readiness” posed a danger to the lives of soldiers.

And he argued that some may not want to risk fighting at all over fears of being “dragged through the courts” decades later.

“It is time someone objected to this farce,” he wrote.