Britain’s second most senior general has said she wants to see less hierarchical behaviour and more “empowerment” in the Army.

Lt Gen Dame Sharon Nesmith, the deputy chief of the general staff, said in an interview that “just because we have lots of rank structure, doesn’t mean to say that we have to behave in a hierarchical way”.

Lt Gen Nesmith, tipped by some as future chief of the service, was the author of the controversial Army Race Action Plan which advocates easing security checks in order to drive diversity.

The document, disclosed by The Telegraph last week, has been denounced as “dangerous madness” by former senior officers and prompted a “furious” Grant Shapps to order a review of diversity policies in the Ministry of Defence.