'Inclusivity is our strength in a dangerous world'
Ministry of DefenceFor Sam des Forges, who has been appointed CBE for services to justice and equity in defence, the world is an "increasingly dangerous and uncertain" place.
The director of conduct, equity and justice at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) argues the best way to counter that is by making sure the armed forces draws talent from across society.
Ms des Forges, from St Clement, Jersey, was speaking after receiving the recognition in the King's New Year Honours List.
"You don't expect things like this to happen, you just get on the best you can in your role," she said. "It was a huge surprise and a huge honour."
Ms des Forges, a member of the LGBT+ community, said her mission was to "make our organisation more inclusive".
She said she was particularly proud of her work in implementing the recommendations of Lord Etherton's review into the impact of the historic ban on gay people serving in the armed forces.
"Welcoming that community back to the defence family was particularly important to me," she said.
"It's pretty clear we're in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world and, for the UK defence to operate at its best, we need talent from across society to be able to maximise their talent and deliver their very best.
"For me, that means making sure the organisation is rooted in integrity and respect for each other."
Reflecting on the global outlook, she said how the UK treated all sections of its society was its strength.
She said: "When we look at the dangerous world we're in, we look at the way Russia treats its LGBT community, Iran treats women, the way other nations don't embrace the whole of their society, I think [diversity] is vital, not only for our operational effectiveness, but it can drive an operational advantage."
Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
