The armed forces were ordered to promote black or Asian recruits as only 5 top officers out of 1,560

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The figures show that no member of an ethnic minority group has been promoted to colonel or higher in the army, captain in the navy or group captain in the RAF for more than five years.

Armed forces chiefs were urged to promote more black or Asian recruits to higher ranks.

New figures show that no member of an ethnic minority has been promoted to colonel or higher in the army, captain in the navy or group captain in the RAF for more than five years.

And fewer than five in 1,560 serving in these roles or higher are from Black or Asian backgrounds.

The Department of Defense has also admitted that all 120 senior women officers in the armed forces are white.

Last night, former Army Capt. Ben Obese-Jecty, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, said nothing would change until the armed forces rooted out racism in the ranks and raised awareness among ethnic minorities about career opportunities in the military .

Ben, who served nine years as of 2012, said it could take decades to fix. “I don’t recall encountering any black senior officers in my day,” he said.

“The shortage of black and Asian officers in senior ranks is indicative of a failure to conduct recruitment over two decades.

“The armed forces have tried to address this with recent campaigns, but it could be a generation before officers are on track to be promoted to higher ranks.

“There are many reasons why young people from minority ethnic groups do not consider a career as a non-commissioned officer. For some, it’s probably fear of racism, but I think lack of awareness is a broader factor.”

Ethnic minorities currently make up around 10% of armed forces personnel.

The failure to promote them comes despite repeated pledges from ministers and service chiefs to ensure the armed forces represent the entire British population.

The Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, also recently vowed to take action after describing the armed forces’ failure to reflect the country’s ethnic mix as “deplorable”.

A Department of Defense spokesman said: “We are working hard to expand the diversity of our armed forces to better reflect the society we serve. We conduct frequent reviews of policies and processes to create an inclusive work environment.”