Radakin: Forces’ lack of diversity is woeful
It is not ‘woke’ to push for more women and ethnic minorities in military, says new defence chief
‘The last 20 years weren’t the end of history. At best, it was a pause. The state is back with a vengeance’
A PUSH for greater diversity in the military is not about being “woke” but addressing the “woeful” lack of women and ethnic minorities in the forces, the new Chief of the Defence Staff has insisted in his first speech in the role.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said that under his stewardship “every aspect” of leadership in Britain’s Armed Forces would be done better, and he warned that if the diversity of the UK was not reflected in the services “we risk looking ridiculous”.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute last night, Sir Tony, 56, said: “This is not about wokefulness. It is about woefulness. The woefulness of too few women. The woefulness of not reflecting the ethnic, religious and cognitive diversity of our nation.
“And the woefulness of not following our own values, whether respect for each other or the simple integrity of claiming expenses.”
Sir Tony, whose role is the top military job in defence, is thought to be particularly angry at the slew of recent allegations regarding the abuse of boarding school allowances by senior army officers, which were said to have “exasperated” the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
Sir Tony said such displays of poor leadership “affects our culture, our fighting power [and] our prowess”.
“It is not an ‘Army thing’ or a ‘Navy thing’; it’s a challenge to the whole of Defence,” he said.
Sir Tony said he expected the dominant theme of his tenure to be the “back-to-the-future” feel of international relations.
He said a revanchist Russia and an increasingly belligerent China showed that the dominant theory in recent military and strategic thinking – that stateon-state competition was consigned to the past – was no longer the case.
The previous “optimism” in political circles that the world would not return to great power rivalry and the “moral and intellectual rationales for liberal interventionism” could no longer set the course for the military, he said.
“It is now clear that the last 20 years weren’t the end of history. At best, it was a pause. And now the play button – or perhaps fast forward – is activated. The state is back with a vengeance. For our competitors, it never went away.”
His comments echo those of Richard Moore, the head of MI6, who said last week that “adapting to a world affected by the rise of China” was the greatest priority for his agency. “Beijing believes its own propaganda about Western frailties and underestimates Washington’s resolve,” Mr Moore said.
Sir Tony said that the world was “more prosperous today than when the Cold War ended”, with increased life expectancy and a reduction in extreme poverty. However, “our security outlook is far more complex and dangerous than at any time over the past 30 years”.
“Russia’s behaviour is a threat to our values and interests. Iran could soon join North Korea in posing a nuclear and ballistic missile threat to the UK and our allies. Instability in the western Balkans is surging again.
“China is challenging international norms of behaviour; whether freedom of navigation, economic intimidation or wolf-warrior diplomacy.”
The response should be to “modernise every aspect of our armed forces” and address broader aspects of security such as climate change and competition over natural resources.