The head of the British army has warned that the “manosphere” is making it harder to stop misogyny and sexual harassment within the military.
General Sir Roly Walker, chief of the general staff, told MPs in the Commons defence select committee on Tuesday that “deepening rifts within young people”, which are being “accelerated through social media”, were also contributing factors.
He said that makes it more challenging to ensure the safety of women serving in the armed forces.
Sir Roly’s appearance before the committee follows an inquest in 2025, which found the army had failed to take action after Gunner Jaysley Beck was sexually assaulted by a superior in the months leading up to her death by suicide.
Asked by MPs why sexual harassment in the armed forces is still as prevalent as it was five years ago, Sir Roly said: “My personal view is this gets harder before it gets easier, because of the trends in wider society.
“The level of misogyny, the level of rancorous behaviour and belief systems, and the tension in wider society, is something we have to accept as the environment from which we attract.
“I’m well aware of what is going on with things like the manosphere and the sense of deepening rifts within young people, all of which is playing and accelerating through social media.
“A lot of that generation are coming through into the armed forces.”
During the committee hearing, Labour MP Emma Lewell said that between 2021 and 2024 there had been 122 investigations into sexual offences against under-18s at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Of those, 80 were sexual assault.
In addition, Ms Lewell said, North Yorkshire Council had received 89 safeguarding notifications in the last five years concerning staff at the college.
The Army Foundation College is the sole military training unit for British army recruits aged between 16 and 17 and a half.
Sir Roly said he was not surprised that the sexual harassment figures have not fallen, despite a more focused approach within the army, and said there was a need to recognise the challenge young people have when they join the military.
Sir Roly said: “The level of sexualisation in young people in society, the level of exposure to drugs, drink, alcohol, violence in wider society, it is not a surprise to me that when we take 10,000 civilians, generally between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 20, and train them to be soldiers, that in those early weeks and months of onboarding them into our organisation, we see the greatest correlation of behaviours which are at odds with our values and standards.
“People are drawn to the armed services because they want to be something different, and it takes a while to transform them from being civilians, in my case, into being soldiers, and that is a journey.
“It is not a cliff edge where you walk in the door and suddenly, you’re a different person.
“These have got to be learned behaviours and applied, and the guardrails are there to do that and do the very best for our people, so they can do the best for the nation.”
The Atherton Report, published in July 2021, found that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and armed forces were failing to protect female personnel.
On Tuesday, Sir Roly faced questions alongside Louise Sandher-Jones, minister for veterans and people, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, first sea lord, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, chief of the air staff, and Sam des Forges, MoD director of conduct, equity and justice, about action taken since the report’s publication.
MPs asked them about the mechanisms they are putting in place to implement cultural change within the services.
The head of the Royal Navy said his force was vulnerable to “toxic” leadership because of the way they assess potential leaders.
Sir Gwyn said: “We are very vulnerable to toxic leadership within our system, and it’s very difficult to identify individuals who can actually create the environment that we want.
“Traditionally, when we’ve looked at our leaders, we tend to assess the outputs that they manage to create. We’re not very good at assessing how they got there in the first place.
“This is really important, because I think the leadership at all levels is what will be able to implement the policies and create the environment for the teams to flourish.
“Unless we can pick the right leaders at all levels within the armed forces, we won’t be able to accelerate the cultural change that we try to engender.”
The navy ran a trial for a new assessment model in the autumn which, Sir Gwyn said, highlighted some individuals who would be successful in the current system but would actually have a negative impact on their people.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
