Royal Navy, in an unprecedented move, has resorted to advertising a high-ranking position on social media. The £150,000-a-year rear-admiral role was posted on LinkedIn in December. This comes as the Navy struggled to find a suitable candidate, leaving one former senior submariner to dub the situation as “utterly shameful”.
Reports said that the only applicant for the director of submarines position was an unqualified weapons engineer commodore. The candidate for which the job was posted was to be selected for a top-notch position in the Royal Navy. The selected person was supposed to take over from Rear-Admiral Simon Asquith.
Moreover, he was to be responsible for overseeing “elite operations” and the nation’s nuclear deterrent.
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Reactions pour in
Reacting to the unusual recruitment method, one user reportedly commented, “I’ll do it – but is the advertisement a scam. Surely not how the appointment is made.” Another former submariner, with 35 years of Navy experience, expressed concern, stating, “Nice little bit of intelligence I am sure our Russian friends will have noted!”
Notably, the position remains unfilled, with the Royal Navy still accepting applications.
Recruitment crisis in Britain’s armed forces
Former defense secretary Ben Wallace, highlighted a wider issue. He warned of a recruitment crisis in Britain’s armed forces, stating, “Armed forces across the West, not just Britain, across Europe, America have a recruitment challenge. Generation Z is not joining the armed forces in the way my generation did.”
In a related development, the Royal Navy has been compelled to decommission two warships, HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll, due to a severe shortage of sailors.
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In the 12 months leading up to March, Ministry of Defence figures revealed that the Navy’s recruitment performance was the worst among the three armed services. The Navy and Royal Marines experienced a 22.1 percent drop in intake compared to the previous year, while the RAF and the Army also faced significant declines.
(With inputs from agencies)
