Armed forces chief ‘confident’ they are safe places for women to serve

The chief of Britain’s armed forces has said he is “confident” they are “a safe place for women to serve”.

The mother of soldier Jaysley Beck, 19, who took her own life in her barracks after she was sexually assaulted by a sergeant, has said young women should not join the Army because the armed forces have not done enough to protect recruits.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the new Chief of Defence Staff, said what happened to Ms Beck was “criminal and she was let down, and that’s why the Army has apologised”.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme, he said the Army has introduced an independent defence serious crimes unit and a victims and witnesses care unit, it has conducted a sexual harassment survey and changed its policies around “unacceptable behaviours”, which are being reviewed by a KC.

“Those things have changed, and that’s why I’m confident that the armed forces is a safe place for women to serve,” Sir Richard said.

Jaysley’s mother, Leighann McCready, has asked why the three service arms are still allowed to self-investigate.

Sir Richard said its serious crimes unit is independent, although still part of the military, and victims can elect to have cases considered through the civilian justice system instead.

He took over as Chief of the Defence Staff in September and is responsible for delivering the strategic defence review published in June at a time when the Government is seeking to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027.

Sir Richard also told the BBC programme: “Our focus has got to be on how do we enhance our readiness so that we’re ready for that changing character of conflict?”

This will mean investing in new technology such space, drones and cyber, but “might require us to make some difficult choices as we go forward”, he said.

He also announced Britain has agreed to provide military support to Belgium after drone incursions on its airspace, which are suspected to have been carried out by Russia.

Sir Richard wrote in The Sunday Telegraph that the nation’s security “is not the responsibility of the military alone”.

He added it is important for society to “understand the stakes” of maintaining the country’s safety, and warned of an “increasingly uncertain world”.

His comments on Remembrance Sunday were echoed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who described it as “tragic and concerning” that many people no longer feel the call to serve their country.

Citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as highlighting that European countries are not as safe as they once were, Sir Richard said: “This conflict reminds us that peace is never guaranteed. It (the UK) must be defended, and sometimes at great cost.

“Whether deterring aggression on Nato’s eastern flank, supporting hurricane relief efforts in the Caribbean, or protecting critical undersea cables at home, we can be proud of our armed forces and what they do for the nation.

“But defence is not the responsibility of the military alone. It is a national endeavour. It requires investment, innovation, and the support of a society that understands the stakes.”