The head of the group – whose subsequent resignation was revealed exclusively by Sky News – told her boss in an email earlier this month that she was not prepared to allocate places on RAF training courses based purely on a particular gender or nationality, according to with a copy. of the message, seen by Sky News. Such a move had raised concerns about the possibility of affirmative action, which is illegal, the defense sources said. “This is illegal,” the officer wrote in the email, dated Aug. 4, adding, “I am not willing to transfer or abdicate the responsibility of carrying out this order to my staff.” Image: Two Eurofighter Typhoons and a C130 Hercules with all-female crews flew over Wembley ahead of the start of the Euro 2022 women’s final in July Defense sources said the team leader – who has not been named – resigned the same day because she was not prepared to implement the “course load” order or impose it on her recruiting team. They said the officer – whom sources described as a highly respected individual – made clear the reasons for her decision in a separate resignation letter sent up her chain of command. A government minister said on Friday that any evidence of possible positive discrimination – the unlawful promotion of someone based solely on a specific, protected characteristic – within the RAF would be investigated and those responsible held accountable. James Happy, the armed forces secretary, spoke after Sky News reported on Tuesday that the head of recruitment had resigned over what defense sources described as an “effective pause” in offering jobs to white men in favor of women and ethnic minorities. impossible’ diversity goals. Mr Heappey contested this characterization of the hiatus. He said Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston, who leads the RAF, had asked his team to “pause” offering training places to all applicants while he and his senior leaders looked at how they could take legal action – so-called positive action – to help improve levels of diversity in various training courses in the year to March 2023. “If there are avenues for the chief of the air staff to see positive action, then that’s fine and he’s created the space to do that. But we have to be absolutely clear that no policy is being implemented,” Mr Heappey said. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:31 August 19: Defense Minister responds to leaked emails Read more: RAF moves to ‘artificially inflate’ diversity numbers to hit out at RAF chief of staff ‘has no shame’ over ‘ceasing job offers for white men’ Defense sources told Sky News that this pause began at the end of June. However, the RAF recruitment team was given a new order on August 2 by the chain of command, the sources said. A subsequent August 4 email from the chief of recruiting referred to this “course loading direction/order” from Air Vice Chief of Staff Maria Byford, the chief of staff, who is the chief of staff to the Air Chief Marshal Wigston. The team leader wrote that according to this order, her recruiting team was to “load as many women as were left and E.M. [ethnic minorities] in those priority professions that are ready and if the E.A [enlisted aviator] Candidates are not ‘first past the post’. The RAF uses a ‘first past the post’ system when recruiting non-commissioned officers. This means that slots on training courses are given to candidates who pass the various selection stages most quickly, which include aptitude tests, medicals and fitness tests. The team leader wrote in her email that the order to load only women and ethnic minorities “was not carried out”. “This direction is to make job offers to additional women and EMs [ethnic minority] applicants solely on the basis of their protected characteristics and preferably to non-EU men who have successfully passed all the selection criteria before them,” he wrote. He said such a move would be against equality legislation and against the RAF’s own legal guidance. “I wholeheartedly agree that it is incredibly important that we do everything in our collective power to support the RAF’s commitment to increasing diversity,” the team leader wrote. “This, however, should be achieved by lawful and proportionate means.” An RAF spokesman said the concerns raised by the resigned head of recruitment had been “addressed” by her chain of command. “The RAF is recruiting people from the widest possible talent pool and becoming a more diverse organisation, but we will not do so at the expense of high standards, operational efficiency or compliance with legal obligations,” the spokesman said. “We regularly review our recruitment processes, seeking legal advice to ensure we are aware of our legal obligations. “Any allegation that we have not done so is investigated without delay. The concern raised in this instance was addressed by the chain of command at the time and we are continuing our work to ensure that our recruitment processes remain compliant with all policy and legal requirements. “ Image: Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston leads the Royal Air Force. Photo: RAF Successive governments have challenged all three armed services – the RAF, the army and the Royal Navy – for years to improve their diversity statistics in what has traditionally been a predominantly white, male profession. It’s a goal championed by defensive leaders. The MOD has announced that it aims to increase the proportion of female recruits in the Armed Forces overall to 30% by 2030 from around 12%. The RAF aims to go further. It aims for the proportion of women employed in aviation to reach 40% by the end of the decade – more than double the current level. The target for ethnic minorities is to reach 20% of all air force recruitment within the same timeframe, up from around 10%. But defense sources have accused Air Chief Marshal Wigston of appearing willing to compromise UK security at a time of growing threats from Russia and China to pursue albeit important aims such as improving diversity and inclusion . Mr Heappey was pressed on a central claim by defense sources that the RAF chief has built a culture in his services around the importance of diversity and inclusion, which may have prompted his chain of command to prioritize the delivery of diversity targets against the operational requirements of aviation. The minister said: “If there is a culture, I’m sure we will encourage the Chief of the Air Staff to pursue it, to make it very clear within the RAF what the policy is.” Citing the priority for UK defense ministers, he said: “I want the chief of the air staff and the other chiefs to address the lack of diversity, but it certainly won’t detract from our ability as a fighting organization to keep our nation safe.” Asked if he still had confidence in Air Chief Marshal Wigston, Mr Heappey said: “Yes.”
title: “Raf Recruitment Chief Refused Illegal Order To Prioritise Women And Ethnic Minorities Over White Men Leaked Email Reveals Uk News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-25” author: “Frederick Bulat”
The head of the group – whose subsequent resignation was revealed exclusively by Sky News – told her boss in an email earlier this month that she was not prepared to allocate places on RAF training courses based purely on a particular gender or nationality, according to with a copy. of the message, seen by Sky News. Such a move had raised concerns about the possibility of affirmative action, which is illegal, the defense sources said. “This is illegal,” the officer, who leads the RAF’s 450-strong recruitment team, wrote in the email dated August 4, adding: “I am not prepared to transfer or abdicate the responsibility of carrying out this order to my staff.” . Image: Two Eurofighter Typhoons and a C130 Hercules with all-female crews flew over Wembley ahead of the start of the Euro 2022 women’s final in July Defense sources said the team leader – who has not been named – resigned from her position the same day because she was not prepared to implement the “course load” order or impose it on her recruiting team. They said the officer – whom sources described as a highly respected individual – made clear the reasons for her decision in a separate resignation letter sent up her chain of command. Her official job title was Group Captain Recruitment & Selection, based at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire. A government minister said on Friday that any evidence of possible positive discrimination – the unlawful promotion of someone based solely on a specific, protected characteristic – within the RAF would be investigated and those responsible held accountable. James Happy, the armed forces secretary, spoke after Sky News reported on Tuesday that the head of recruitment had resigned over what defense sources described as an “effective pause” in offering jobs to white men in favor of women and ethnic minorities. impossible’ diversity goals. Mr Heappey contested this characterization of the hiatus. He said Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston, who leads the RAF, had asked his team to “pause” offering training places to all applicants while he and his senior leaders looked at how they could take legal action – so-called positive action – to help improve levels of diversity in various training courses in the year to March 2023. “If there are avenues for the chief of the air staff to see positive action, then that’s fine and he’s created the space to do that. But we have to be absolutely clear that no policy is being implemented,” Mr Heappey said. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:31 August 19: Defense Minister responds to leaked emails Read more: RAF moves to ‘artificially inflate’ diversity numbers to hit out at RAF chief of staff ‘has no shame’ over ‘ceasing job offers for white men’ Defense sources told Sky News that this pause began at the end of June. However, the RAF recruitment team was given a new order on August 2 by the chain of command, the sources said. A subsequent August 4 email from the chief of recruiting referred to this “course loading direction/order” from Air Vice Chief of Staff Maria Byford, the chief of staff, who is the chief of staff to the Air Chief Marshal Wigston. The team leader wrote that according to this order, her recruiting team was to “load as many women as were left and E.M. [ethnic minorities] in those priority professions that are ready and if the E.A [enlisted aviator] Candidates are not ‘first past the post’. The RAF uses a ‘first past the post’ system when recruiting non-commissioned officers. This means that slots on training courses are given to candidates who pass the various selection stages most quickly, which include aptitude tests, medicals and fitness tests. The team leader wrote in her email that the order to load only women and ethnic minorities “was not carried out”. “This direction is to make job offers to additional women and EMs [ethnic minority] applicants solely on the basis of their protected characteristics and preferably to non-EU men who have successfully passed all the selection criteria before them,” he wrote. He said such a move would be against equality legislation and against the RAF’s own legal guidance. “I wholeheartedly agree that it is incredibly important that we do everything in our collective power to support the RAF’s commitment to increasing diversity,” the team leader wrote. “This, however, should be achieved by lawful and proportionate means.” An RAF spokesman said the concerns raised by the resigned head of recruitment had been “addressed” by her chain of command. “The RAF is recruiting people from the widest possible talent pool and becoming a more diverse organisation, but we will not do so at the expense of high standards, operational efficiency or compliance with legal obligations,” the spokesman said. “We regularly review our recruitment processes, seeking legal advice to ensure we are aware of our legal obligations. “Any allegation that we have not done so is investigated without delay. The concern raised in this instance was addressed by the chain of command at the time and we are continuing our work to ensure that our recruitment processes remain compliant with all policy and legal requirements. “ Image: Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston leads the Royal Air Force. Photo: RAF Successive governments have challenged all three armed services – the RAF, the army and the Royal Navy – for years to improve their diversity statistics in what has traditionally been a predominantly white, male profession. It’s a goal championed by defensive leaders. The MOD has announced that it aims to increase the proportion of female recruits in the Armed Forces overall to 30% by 2030 from around 12%. The RAF aims to go further. It aims for the proportion of women employed in aviation to reach 40% by the end of the decade – more than double the current level. The target for ethnic minorities is to reach 20% of all air force recruitment within the same timeframe, up from around 10%. But defense sources have accused Air Chief Marshal Wigston of appearing willing to compromise UK security at a time of growing threats from Russia and China to pursue albeit important aims such as improving diversity and inclusion . Mr Heappey was pressed on a central claim by defense sources that the RAF chief has built a culture in his services around the importance of diversity and inclusion, which may have prompted his chain of command to prioritize the delivery of diversity targets against the operational requirements of aviation. The minister said: “If there is a culture, I’m sure we will encourage the Chief of the Air Staff to pursue it, to make it very clear within the RAF what the policy is.” Citing the priority for UK defense ministers, he said: “I want the chief of the air staff and the other chiefs to address the lack of diversity, but it certainly won’t detract from our ability as a fighting organization to keep our nation safe.” Asked if he still had confidence in Air Chief Marshal Wigston, Mr Heappey said: “Yes.”
