Diversity and inclusion

“An Army that is justifiably recognised as a demonstrably inclusive employer that respects difference, attracts talent from all areas of society, overtly embraces equality of opportunity and always challenges unacceptable behaviour”.

Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith

"As the Army's Principle Personnel Officer my aim is to ensure that every officer and soldier in the Army is treated with respect whatever their protected characteristic or background.  Diversity, inclusion and respect sit at the heart of the Army's values and ethos, and rightly so. To continue to be recognised as one of the leading army’s in the world we must be able to recruit and retain a diversity of talent and thought, drawing from all sections of society.  We must create and protect an environment that is inclusive of individual differences and which recognises the barriers that people from diverse backgrounds may face and proactively seek to overcome these.  This requires every one of us to think through our actions and check they are inclusive. I will challenge those who do not show this respect for others and be ruthless in dealing with and eradicating any incidents of unacceptable behaviour aimed at members of the Army or others. I expect everyone to do the same."

Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General CL Tickell 

Army diversity and inclusion advisors

Every unit in the British Army has a trained D&I advisor who ensures that their unit has an inclusive culture and assists the commanding officer in supporting those who are treated unacceptably, they lead on informal resolution and signpost the many organisations that are there to support our soldiers including the Speakout confidential helpline and the army mediation service.

The Army’s Speak Out team provides confidential support for anyone experiencing unacceptable behaviours and also offers support to the CoC. It is staffed by military personnel and is open every day from 0830-1700 Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays and Christmas stand down.

Speak out signposts Service Personnel to suitable contacts in their units to enable the problem to be addressed at the most appropriate level of escalation.

Contact us on Mil 96770 4656 or Civ 0306 770 4656 and the e-mail address is [email protected]

The Army Mediation Service (AMS) provides soldiers and civil servants with the opportunity to address workplace relationships which have broken down by offering resolution at the appropriate level of escalation. Mediation is most effective when used to address problems when they first occur so that individuals can resolve issues before they get out of hand.

The AMS can be contacted for advice and support on Mil 96770 7691 or Civ 0306 770 7691 or e-mail [email protected].

Employee support networks

The Army have four employee support networks to support serving soldiers and offer advice to the leadership and policy teams, they are:

Army Servicewomen’s Network

Army BAME Network

Army LGBT+ Forum

Army Parent’s Network

In addition there are a number of defence faith and health networks that offer more specialised staff support.

External partnerships

The army values our links with external organisations to enable us to share ideas and learn best practice. The army currently undertakes benchmarking and/or has partnerships with the following organisations:

Business in the Community – signed up to the Race at Work Charter

Stonewall – 51st in the 2019 Workplace Equality Index

Women in Defence – signed up to the Women in Defence Charter

Social Mobility Foundation – 55th in the 2019 Social Mobility Employer Index

What we stand for