A set of new television adverts have released in attempt to target Muslims and women to join the British Army.
A new television advert titled as Keeping my Faith, shows a Muslim soldier kneeling in prayer during a combat patrol, while his comrades sit on the hillside waiting while turning down a crackling radio so that he is not disturbed while praying.
It is believed to be the first time that the British Army has featured a Muslim soldier praying in their advertisement. This advert is part of the army's £1.6 million television, radio and online campaign implemented to boost their recruitment.
A retired colonel, Richard Kemp claims the campaign neglects “the main group of people who are interested in joining”. However, senior officers assert that the British Army must reach beyond its traditional demographic of white British men between the age of 16 and 24. Currently, the army is 4,500 short of its target strength of 82,000 soldiers.
In another advert, titled Facing My Kryptonite, a young soldier is shown being encouraged by his peers to do pull-ups, while a young female soldier leads a squad of troops who have been dropped off on patrol by a helicopter. In 2016, a ban on women in close combat roles was removed.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Defence, the soldier who performed pull-ups in the advert said, “When I first joined the army I found the physical side of things pretty tough.”
The assistant director of army recruitment, Colonel Simon Stockley said, “The adverts show the support the army gives to all soldiers to encourage them to achieve personal and professional goals through a shared sense of belonging.”
