The head of the RAF's recruitment team has quit amid reports suggesting the force has effectively placed a pause on hiring white men in order to meet diversity targets.
The Group Captain, whose identity is yet to be revealed, has stepped down from the post but remains an RAF officer, the Ministry of Defence revealed.
A Puma helicopter prepares for take at RAF Aldergrove. The RAF are preparing to leave Aldergrove, its last remaining permanent base in Northern Ireland.
Paul Faith
An aircrew return after a flight in a Puma helicopter at RAF Aldergrove. The RAF are preparing to leave Aldergrove, its last remaining permanent base in Northern Ireland.
Paul Faith
A report claims an effective pause on hiring white males had been ordered in order to assist in the organisation's efforts to meet their diversity quota.
The RAF has denied the claim. “There is no pause in Royal Air Force recruitment and no new policy with regards to meeting in-year recruitment requirements," a spokesperson said.
“Royal Air Force commanders will not shy away from the challenges we face building a service that attracts and recruits talent from every part of the UK workforce.
“As with the Royal Navy and British Army, we are doing everything we can to encourage recruiting from under-represented groups and ensure we have a diverse workforce.
“The Royal Air Force has a well-earned reputation for operational excellence that is founded on the quality of all our people. We will always seek to recruit the best talent available to us.”
In December 2021, in his first speech as Head of the Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin insisted the issue of diversity must be a priority for service chiefs.
He said that diversity was 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.”