It has recently emerged, in the press, that many armed forces personnel, some serving on operations, are facing the axe from the armed forces as the government attempt to cut defence spending. There is also talk that the controversial Manning Control Points (MCP’s), that were shelved back in 2002, and have been brought back in to play. Is this the correct way to control numbers in the armed forces?  Well certainly if the reports of...

According to reports I have read in the papers today the new coalition government is pledging to double the operational allowance for armed forces personnel serving in Afghanistan, and include armed forces pay in its plans for a fair pay review. They are also planning a cut of “at least 25 per cent” in Ministry of Defence running costs following controversy over the levels of bureaucracy in the department. The issue over...

Finally there are moves being put in place to assist ex-armed forces personnel that are finding themselves in the criminal justice system. These moves are not coming from government but from the Kent constabulary which has launched an initiative in conjunction with SSAFA Forces Help, which involves checking all persons that are in custody during the pre-release procedure to see if they are ex-armed forces. If they are they will be given...

It has been reported that the Ministry of Defence has committed to implementing recommendations given by the review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, which was published in February 2010, in full. To this end an independent team of medical experts has been established to help decide on levels of compensation payments under the new Scheme. This would include; increasing the maximum award for mental illness and increasing the...

Whilst recognition of the special bond of mutual obligations between the state and its Armed Forces dates back more than 400 years, it was not until 2000 that the Army published ‘Soldiering – the Military Covenant’. The covenant, which set out the obligations on the soldier to make personal sacrifices in the service of the nation, also stated that the armed forces must be sustained by the nation. The code took...

From the 12 April 2010 the tea that has been brewed up to be drunk by Britain’s Armed Forces for the 10.30am NAAFI Tea Break is now to be available to the rest of the country through 80 stores of the Spa supermarket chain.  And 50p from the sale of every box is to go to the charity Help for Heroes which helps injured service personnel. NAAFI tea has been served to service personnel since 1921 and until now it was impossible to buy...