IT’S OK TO CRY, ARMY TELLS NEW RECRUITS

Advertising drive aims at a ‘broader community’

An Army recruitment campaign that says it is fine for soldiers to cry, pray and show emotion could undermine Britain’s fighting strength, critics warned last night.

The radio, TV and online adverts seek to reassure recruits about revealing their anxieties, their sexuality and about practising their religion.

The five animated adverts, voiced by soldiers, are part a £1.6million ‘This is Belonging 2018’ campaign which aims to diversify the 83,000-strong Army by widening its target base.

Each video tells the story of someone who began believing the Army was not the right place for them, but ends with them realising it was the ideal choice. They end with the line ‘Find where you belong Army’, with the slogan ‘Army, be the best’ underneath.

Yesterday, the head of the Army defended the adverts amid criticism they made the military look ‘ weak’ and ‘soft’ because of ‘PC madness’.

General Sir nick Carter admitted the Army was not fully manned and that to boost numbers its recruitment campaign had to better reflect the demography of the UK.

He said in Britain today there are 25 per cent fewer white 16 to 25-year-old males, who formed the traditional recruitment base. Sir nick told Radio 4’s Today: ‘Combat ethos and fighting power remain the highest priority post-Iraq and Afghanistan, and I can’t remember a time in my career when we’ve had a more combat-hardened Army.

‘But what this campaign is about, frankly, is a recognition that we don’t have a fully manned Army at the moment, that the demography ... has changed, and that we need to reach out to a broader community in order to man that Army with the right talent.’

A source close to Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘He believes our Armed Forces are the best in the world and that to be the best we need to appeal to and recruit people from all backgrounds across the UK who bravely want to serve their country.’ Army sources said the ‘teaser adverts’ were a product of market research and aimed at a specific target audience.

But former corporal Brian Wood, who was awarded the Military Cross for outstanding bravery during a firefight in Iraq, said: ‘We are showing weakness to the enemy. People who join the military do so to serve and protect, not worry about being gay, praying and being emotional. PC madness.’

Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded forces in Afghanistan, said: ‘We should be projecting an image of rough, tough troops ready to fight, not people who are worried about if someone will listen to them or whether they can pray or not.’

Retired Major General Tim Cross said he was in favour of recruiting from a broader base to boost numbers, but stressed that soldiers must be able to deliver high-intensity fighting power capable of ‘duffing up the Queen’s enemies’.

But former officer and Tory MP Johnny Mercer said: ‘We mustn’t hammer the Army for not hitting targets and then criticise them for research-led recruitment efforts.’

He added: ‘Is the Army going soft? no of course it is not. We should get behind them and get on with it.’

‘Duffing up the Queen’s enemies’