The ‘officer class’ of the Army and Royal Navy remains almost exclusively white-skinned

The ‘officer class’ of the Army and Royal Navy remains almost exclusively white-skinned, according to figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday.

More than 90 per cent of officer cadets at the Army’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) and the Navy’s Dartmouth training college last year were white.

For the most recent RAF officer intake, 91.9 per cent were white and 8.1 per cent from ethnic minorities.

The shameful lack of leaders from ethnic minorities comes despite pledges from defence chiefs to improve diversity.

Despite the shortage of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) officer trainees, there are no specific targets to boost the number of officers from these backgrounds, only for recruits. Being privately educated remains an advantage for candidates hoping to enter top military colleges.

Ethnic minority representation at Dartmouth was even lower, with just ten BAME trainees out of 400 (file image) 

Of the 580 officer cadets who entered Sandhurst in 2022, only 40 identified as BAME. 

Ethnic minority representation at Dartmouth was even lower, with just ten BAME trainees out of 400.

Last night, former Army officer Ben Obese-Jecty, who is mixed-race, said: ‘Given the military’s desire to diversity its senior ranks, it is clear that the current officer recruitment strategy is in need of a drastic rethink.’

Last night, the Army said: ‘Training at RMAS is accessible to any British, Commonwealth or Irish citizen who meets the academic, aptitude, physical and medical requirements, irrespective of the candidate’s ethnic or social background.’

The Navy said: ‘We continue to increase the number of people from ethnic-minority backgrounds, women and LGBTQ individuals who serve.’

The RAF added: ‘The RAF is actively working to recruit the best people from the widest possible pool of talent.’