Army warned that focus on diversity could see it lose recruitment battle

Iraq veteran says military must not lose sight of its ‘core workforce’ and fears troop cuts go too far

THE British Army’s drive for diversity could mean it struggles to recruit enough soldiers, the director of the National Army Museum has warned.

Justin Maciejewski, the director general of the museum who commanded troops in Iraq, said it was imperative that the Armed Forces did not lose sight of its “core workforce” by focusing too heavily on recruiting candidates from different backgrounds.

He said: “I think that in this period where diversity and inclusion has become such an important priority that has also spilled over into recruiting.

“I think this is obviously important, you know everyone wants to have a diverse and inclusive workforce, but sometimes if you lose sight of your core constituency in that process you will also struggle to find the numbers.”

Mr Maciejewski said that while the Armed Services need to “focus on recruiting a diverse workforce”, they should also be “very mindful of who historically has provided the bulk of the people for the Army”.

“[Which is] of course what we would have called in the old days workingclass families from right across the country whose sons and daughters have joined the Army,” he told Jeremy Paxman on The Lock In podcast.

“Sometimes we under-focus on those core groups at the expense of others, and I think that combined with outsourcing recruiting has probably caused the Army quite a lot of challenges recently.”

Previous reports have documented the challenge the Army faces with recruitment. In 2018 a National Audit Office report found half of would-be soldiers dropped out of the recruitment process because it was taking up to a year. Meanwhile, in a letter to troops last year, General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said greater diversity was required within the Armed Forces in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mr Maciejewski added that the current size of the Army – which is to be reduced to 72,500 soldiers by 2025 – “pushes the bounds of credibility”.

The reduction in troops was announced as part of the Ministry of Defence’s command paper, which featured a pivot towards cyber warfare, space and robotics.

Tobias Ellwood, the chairman of the defence select committee, said: “There are bonds between the military and community that date back centuries which will be lost if garrisons are closed, many of which are in areas where the military offers enormous prospects for employment. Recruitment is already a challenge and we will lose important connectivity if the Army continues to shrink further.”