One factor which I know has been raised as an issue internally, and which has been resolutely ignored, is that members of some ethnic groups are much less likely than others to volunteer for military service. Not because the services are unwelcoming or discriminatory, but because of cultural preferences or entrenched political views. Examples would be the British Indian and Chinese communities, in which educational attainment levels are far higher than the national average and in which military service is viewed as a low status career, and the British Muslim community, which understandably sees campaigns of the past 20 years in a slightly different light to others.
These are generalisations, to be sure, but then it is a generalisation to read across the proportions of ethnic groups from the wider population and set them as recruitment targets without any kind of deeper analysis.
Moreover, there is precisely nothing that the forces can or should do to address these matters. It is not the forces' job to shape the political and cultural views of UK citizens. Any more than, say, it would be the job of the Israeli armed forces to persuade orthodox Jews to serve (which they famously don't, despite their electoral clout driving much of Israeli government policy). Any such initiative should be for elected politicians to lead as part of wider societal reform, encompassing policies across a range of government departments. It should certainly not be driven by a small band of military officers and civil servants, cheered on by interested NGOs and Twitter followers.
Using the military to shape the views and preferences of domestic society is something rightly associated with fascism and dictatorship. Not for me, thank you.
Last edited by Easy Street; 17th Aug 2022 at 12:07.