The First Sea Lord's Equality and Diversity Directive

1. To achieve this we must attract, develop and retain sufficient, capable and motivated people. Success in operations is dependent on teamwork. Every individual must play their part in the team, the effectiveness of which depends equally on individual contribution and on team cohesion. Success requires mutual trust and respect, with each and every team member a valued individual, whether uniformed or civilian. Any form of discrimination, harassment or bullying undermines that necessary trust and weakens our effectiveness: the operational case for equality and diversity is therefore undeniable.

Disciplined but fair:

2. My vision is of a Naval Service that is disciplined but fair, and in which the principles of equality and diversity are embedded as a fundamental component of leadership within our divisional and management systems. I require commanders and leaders at all levels to lead by example and display moral courage; to know their people; value them as individuals; encourage them to reach their full potential; and demand the highest standards of behaviour in return. I expect Service and civilian personnel at every level and at all times to meet their basic moral obligation to treat each other with the utmost respect, dignity, honesty and fairness and for our personnel to strive consistently to meet the Naval Service Core Values or Civil Service Code as appropriate. Each one of us bears responsibility for our own behaviour and its effect upon our colleagues and the other members of society with whom we come into contact. We all have a responsibility to challenge inappropriate behaviour and attitudes and to support each other in eradicating any such behaviours from our teams. Any failure – at whatever level – to meet our basic values, standards and responsibilities reflects poorly on the whole Naval Service.

An environment that’s trusting open and inclusive:

3. We must value our diversity and capitalise on the wide range of individual differences, skills and unique talents our people bring. Our ethos is inclusive; it welcomes and appreciates differences – gender, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age, disability and social and educational background – while accepting for military personnel the minimum exemptions in order to safeguard operational effectiveness. The Naval Service commitment to diversity extends beyond our legal responsibilities to prevent unlawful discrimination. We are resolutely committed to ensuring that every individual has equality of opportunity for employment, training and advancement based solely on merit and ability, and that all our people can be themselves and work and achieve their full potential in an environment that is trusting, open and inclusive.

4. I regard equality and diversity as a key enabler of our core business. It gives moral underpinning to our operational capability and I expect each and every one of us to play our part.