The new head of the Armed Forces has threatened to block the promotions of thousands of officers unless they improve the ‘inclusiveness and diversity’ of their units.

An internal document leaked to The Mail on Sunday reveals that General Sir Nick Carter, who takes over as Chief of the Defence Staff in June, intends to punish commanders who fail to adopt politically correct measures designed to help troops of different genders, faiths and sexual orientations work together.

The controversial new scheme also applies to less senior personnel. Remarkably, any sergeants and corporals not seen to be making their barracks more caring and understanding places of work for troops from minority backgrounds will be reprimanded.

Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter has controversial plans intended to make the Armed Forces appear less elitist

Even private soldiers, sailors and airmen and women will be overlooked for promotion unless they actively demonstrate their support for troops who may not naturally feel comfortable in a military environment.

The Compulsory Objectives Scheme is apparently driven by the need to recruit more troops from ethnic minority groups and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

But serving officers say the plan is ‘PC claptrap’. They say military units are not rife with prejudice, as some top brass have suggested. Last year, LGBT charity Stonewall named the Army in its Top 100 employers for equality.

One infantry officer said: ‘Though well meaning, the scheme is damn well patronising to men and women who have fought together on the front line and been to hell and back.

‘We don’t give a stuff whether someone is gay or straight, black or white, Muslim, Christian or atheist, so long as they can do the job.

‘The Army, Navy and RAF are not in the Dark Ages. Huge strides have been made since the suicides of recruits at Deepcut in the 1990s caused by bullying. We don’t need these draconian measures.’

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As part of the scheme, commanders will also have to list all the diversity and inclusion initiatives taken by their troops in their annual reports. The quality of a soldier’s report determines whether he or she is promoted.

Sources also confirmed that every individual’s efforts to boost inclusiveness and diversity would be a key factor in any promotion bid. The scheme comes after this newspaper revealed other controversial plans by Gen Carter intended to make the Armed Forces appear less elitist, including the Army dropping its ‘Be the Best’ motto.

Last night an MoD spokesman said: ‘We added this objective because we are committed to promoting a modern, diverse and inclusive workplace. A key part of this is ensuring that everyone in defence takes the lead.’