Army adverts slammed for being ‘too soft’

Picture typical armed forces advertisements. They preach excitement and the chance for ordinary people to better themselves. There will be lots of shots of military hardware.

The British army’s latest recruiting adverts are rather different. They ask: "What if I get emotional?", "Can I be gay in the army?" and "Do I have to be a superhero?"

The latest series of adverts come in response to a recruitment crisis in the army. General Sir Nick Carter, head of the army, said the traditional soldier was a young, white man, aged 16-25, but Britain’s demographic changes mean there were now "not as many of those around as there once were".

But the army has been slammed for pandering to political correctness. Last month the defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, blocked plans to scrap the “Be the best” slogan, as it was considered too "elitist and non-inclusive".

Writing in The Telegraph, Colonel Tim Collins says that “Daydreaming of a better world is a very dangerous occupation,” contrasting this with the brutal realities of a soldier’s life.

But is this really what the armed forces should be in 2018? As the world becomes more comfortable and more peaceful, is it time to rethink the army’s role?

Progressive force

Some argue that in an age when the world is more peaceful than at most times in history, and when drones are slowly replacing armed soldiers, the army must adapt. It should be seen as ambassadors of Western liberal values, and that means presenting a very different face.

Nonsense, reply others. The world is still dangerous, and an army’s main — possibly only — task must be to defend the nation at all costs. The army should be elitist and exclusive, and there is a consensus among those who have served in the military that an army cannot both reflect society and do its job.