As part of a series of changes to eradicate unacceptable behaviours in the military, and step-up support for women across UK Defence, a new Tri-Service complaints unit for the Armed Forces has been announced.
The new team will be independent of the single Service chain of command to provide individuals with greater confidence and help ensure that the most serious complaints are dealt with quickly, fairly and in a standardised way across the Armed Forces.
Building on the change in 2022 when complaints were taken out of the direct chain of command, providing greater independence and confidence.
The change will see Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination related service complaints dealt with by a team outside the commands of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. This builds on the successes of the tri-service approach to sexual offending, within the Defence Serious Crime Command which was set up in 2022.
In addition, the Ministry of Defence will set up a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce, led centrally by Minister for Defence People and Veterans Al Carns to cohere and drive the work to change culture from the heart of the department.
The Minister will be supported by a network of regional champions who will help raise awareness of and tackle violence against women and girls across the military, and a Defence Voices Panel – a challenge group made up of service personnel and civil servants to provide honest feedback and lived experiences.
The Minister set out these new measures before the House of Commons Defence Select Committee where he gave evidence alongside Service chiefs. The Minister said:
“This government was elected on a manifesto of change, and we are delivering for Defence. I am personally committed to ensuring that we do everything within our power to root out unacceptable behaviour and ensure that the Armed Forces is a place where everyone can thrive.
“Women in the armed forces play a vital role in our keeping our nation safe. This is not just a matter of basic justice and equality, it is essential to military effectiveness. Our people have spoken, and we have listened.
“We are moving at pace to create a new Tri-Service Complaints team to take the most serious complaints out of the chain of single Service command for the first time and to launch a central taskforce to give this issue the attention and focus it deserves.”
The MOD’s VAWG Taskforce will include regional support network, trained on topics including domestic violence and sexual offending. These roles will use a network of multidisciplinary experts to support Armed Forces personnel, including healthcare providers, social workers, and HR advisors and will link into the Victim Witness Care Unit.
These measures are part of the government’s commitment to improving Service life and renewing the contract with those who serve and have served and support this government’s foundation of strong national security.
