It is important for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the single services to understand the opinions and attitudes of service personnel.
The annual Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) is one of the main ways to gather information on the views and experiences of our personnel.
The information from this survey helps shape policies for training, support, and the terms and conditions of service.
As part of a new partnership, the MOD will learn from McLaren Racing’s cutting-edge Accelerator team, who use knowledge and expertise from years of elite-level motorsport to produce advanced technology and manufacturing.
McLaren and the MOD will work closely together to find new solutions for a variety of defence projects, which could include electrification of new military vehicles and future power options for the armed forces, which will increase operational effectiveness.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This exciting partnership will see McLaren Racing bring their world-class expertise from the racetrack into a number of defence projects. By collaborating with industry we will continue to drive innovation through knowledge sharing, which will benefit Defence’s engineering and operations across the course of the partnership and beyond.”
One of the projects that may benefit from the partnership is the electrification of armoured vehicles (Project LURCHER), which aims to meet the Army’s intention to transition to electric vehicle technology. To mark the start of the partnership, the NEOM McLaren Extreme E race car was shown alongside a Project LURCHER vehicle at the BattleLab – a Defence Innovation co-creation space based in Dorset.
Electrification could make military vehicles more operationally effective, including by using novel power sources to cut down the need to resupply, therefore reducing the vulnerability of forces in the field. Tech innovation can also help with increased range for vehicles.
Matt Dennington, Co-Chief Commercial Officer, McLaren Racing, said: “This new partnership with the Ministry of Defence provides a great opportunity to stretch and apply our innovation and technological know-how and a high-performance culture with a view to improving operational efficiencies across a wide range of exciting projects.
“Under the multi-year partnership, the Ministry of Defence will collaborate through McLaren Accelerator to apply motorsport innovation and insights to projects that are jointly selected by Defence and McLaren teams.”
The employment rate of Service personnel who have left the UK armed forces, six months after leaving service, has reached a record high of 89% according to new data published for 2022/2023 by the Department of Defence Statistics Health within the Ministry of Defence, for resettlement provided by the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).
The data recorded by Defence Statistics reported a lower rate of economically inactive Service leavers – reducing from 9% to 7%, of which the majority (40%) are recorded as having gone into education, training, or volunteering, with 26% not seeking employment, and 12% going into retirement.
The remaining 22% were split across a variety of reasons; medically unfit to work, or they made the choice to have a career break, to care for family, travel, re-join the military, or were awaiting a visa/citizenship, or chose not to declare their reason.
CTP, in partnership with Right Management, has to date helped more than 310,000 Service leavers make their move into civilian life over the past 25 years, supporting thousands of organisations with the recruitment of ex-military personnel.
Adrian Peters, Operations Director, CTP, said: “Making the transition back to life on ‘Civvy Street’ can be a daunting experience for military personnel and our programmes exist to give them the training, guidance, and tools to upskill, make informed decisions and better understand what they offer future employers if that’s their chosen pathway.
“I’m incredibly proud of the positive outcomes reported by Defence Statistics, which demonstrates the high quality of support CTP provides. Another example of this is that 99.5% of Service leavers who attended our Career Transition Workshops say they would recommend CTP to other Service leavers.”
CTP contacts 100% of Service leavers post discharge and due to increased efforts between 2022-2023, the outcomes of Service leavers known by the CTP, increased by almost 14%.
Peters adds: “Service leavers offer transferable skills and experience which is invaluable for thousands of organisations and is especially important just now, with 80% of UK businesses reporting challenges in finding the right talent. We know from those organisations, how much value is placed on the Armed Forces pool of talent, and those individuals bring their own exceptional skills and characteristics into the UK workforce.”
Hans Pung will succeed Helen Helliwell as Chair of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. Hans was the standout candidate in an open recruitment campaign in autumn 2023. His appointment has been formally approved by the Minister for Defence People and Families, Dr Andrew Murrison MP.
Hans is no stranger to the work of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, given his long-standing commitment to veterans’ issues and as Chair of the Forces in Mind Trust from 2016 to 2022, helping Service personnel and their families make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life.
Hans has also worked closely with the MOD on several programmes from his day job as President of RAND Europe, who he first joined as a policy analyst in 2002.
Prior to RAND, Hans served as an engineer officer in the United States Army with responsibility for logistics, personnel, and operations and overseas service in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, and Germany. He also led the emergency power response team at the Pentagon in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
A mathematics graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Hans also holds advanced degrees in mathematical modelling and modern history from Oxford University, which he attended as a (George C.) Marshall Scholar.
Comment from outgoing Chair, Helen Helliwell: “I am delighted that the Chair position is going to such an experienced and motivated individual. I have worked with Hans over several years and so was thrilled to hear he was the successful candidate at interview. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chair of Trustees, from taking the Covenant Fund from a small team in MOD to now an independent charity and Non-Departmental Public Body of the MOD.
“I am proud of the progress we have made and the impact the funding has had across the UK and on overseas bases to deliver on our promises under the Armed Forces Covenant. I wish to say a huge thank you to the executive team and fellow Trustees for their support and contributions along the way. I know that they will warmly welcome Hans and I look forward to seeing the Trust grow under Hans’ leadership.”
Comment from incoming Chair, Hans Pung: “I am extremely grateful to be appointed as the next Chair of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. I have seen first-hand the impact the Trust has had in delivering funding that supports the delivery of the Nation’s Covenant promise to our Armed Forces, Veterans and their families and am looking forward to contributing to this vital mission in the years ahead.
“I would also like to recognise and thank Helen for her outstanding leadership in chairing the Trust through its early years until now. I am delighted for the opportunity to work with Helen, my fellow Trustees, Anna Wright and the Trust staff, and the wider Armed Forces community in my new role.”
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for 2024 has commenced its application phase, inviting Bronze holders to submit their interest for advancing to the Silver, and Silver holders to advance to Gold levels in the upcoming year.
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) awards are instrumental in enhancing private, public and third sector support for defence people, as well as recognising the contributions of qualifying public sector organisations. The application deadlines are 17 April 2024 for Silver and 13 March 2024 for Gold.
Applicants are advised to contact their Regional Employer Engagement Directors or National Account Managers for assistance in the application process. More details about the Defence ERS can be found here.
If you are not already in touch with your Regional Employer Engagement Director, follow this link to find one in your region.
Queries regarding ERS or EOI can be directed to employerrelations@rfca.mod.uk
The Defence ERS plays a pivotal role in defence engagement, and active participation is highly encouraged.
Mitie celebrates its third year as a Gold Award recipient on the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), highlighting its consistent and longstanding commitment to supporting the Armed Forces.
Reserved for organisations that demonstrate the strongest commitment to supporting the Armed Forces, the award exemplifies Mitie’s active and continued support for its +2,000 colleagues from the defence and military community including veterans, reservists, and family members of those in the forces.
Since first receiving the Gold Award three years ago, Mitie has continued to identify and address areas in which it can support ex-military personnel transition to civilian life and develop their careers within facilities management. This includes running recruitment programmes through a dedicated Armed Forces Career Portal that helps colleagues with military backgrounds to explore potential career opportunities and matches their skillsets with specific job roles.
Alongside this, Mitie offers career guidance and support to new service leavers at careers fairs and networking events through the Government’s Career Transition Partnership. Mitie also provides work placement opportunities to those looking to gain hands-on work experience in business areas that they are interested in.
The ‘Mitie Military’ network, is a platform created to offer Forces colleagues a forum to meet and connect with like-minded individuals, share experiences, access resources, and receive additional support. It also provides colleagues across the business with the tools to better support and accommodate ex-military colleagues.
Mitie’s community of reservists play a crucial role in supporting the wider Armed Forces and can be called up to service at any point. In recognition of this key responsibility, reservists are granted ten days of paid leave every year in addition to their annual holiday entitlement to support them fulfil their service commitments.
As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, Mitie’s support for military charities is a key aspect of its status as a Gold Award ERS scheme recipient. This year, Mitie has collectively raised over £10,000 for a number of different charities including Help for Heroes, where a team of colleagues raised money by cycling 330 miles (531km) across France. Colleagues also supported the Walking with the Wounded and Armed Forces Benevolent Fund charities by completing charity walks that totalled 178 miles (286km), the distance between London and Liverpool.
Charles Antelme, Managing Director, Defence, Mitie, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating three years of holding the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. This significant milestone is testament to our continued commitment to supporting Mitie’s veterans, reservists, and forces’ families.
“As we gather during this period of Remembrance, our attention turns to all members of the Armed Forces community and we are both proud of and grateful for the great work that people from across Mitie undertake daily to support them.”
The UK has underlined its support for the integrity of the Bosnian state during a meeting today between defence ministers from both countries.
The UK has underlined its support for the integrity of the Bosnian state during a meeting today between defence ministers from both countries.
UK Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, hosted the Minister of Defence for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Zukan Helez and Deputy Minister Slaven Galić in London to discuss bilateral defence relations and the current security situation in country.
Minister Heappey made clear the UK is committed to supporting the defence reforms and the continued development of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as backing BiH’s ambition for Euro-Atlantic accession.
It was a pleasure to welcome Minister Helez to London today following our meeting in Sarajevo in May, building on our combined work to strengthen our bilateral defence relations.
I shared my concerns regarding the developing situation in Bosnia, making clear the UK fully supports the unity and integrity of the Bosnia and Herzegovina state
The ministers discussed a range of issues including the UK and BiH’s bilateral defence relationship, with both ministers expressing an interest to further deepen defence engagement.
During his visit to the UK, Minister Helez attended the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition and was also hosted by Lord Peach, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, in Parliament’s House of Lords.
The UK will continue to work closely with international partners to secure the European Union Force’s (EUFOR) mandate renewal in the UN and our Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Lord Peach, recently issued a statement confirming the UK’s support for the High Representative. That came after the Prime Minister hosted BiH Presidency member, Dr Denis Bećirović, in July to underline the UK’s support.
The UK also supports Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH), including through joint training, and the provision of military equipment including live fire targets, urban training facilities, search and rescue gear; as well as the exchange of expertise.
Personnel from 1 Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment of the British Army will also be deploying to BiH in October to train alongside AFBiH personnel .
This will help to build the overall capability of the AFBiH and their ability to operate alongside other international forces. More than ever in the wake of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, these kinds of defence and security partnerships help to underpin the stability and security of a sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Military personnel deployed on the battlefield will benefit from enhanced connectivity, following the award of an £89 million contract.
Military personnel deployed on the battlefield will benefit from enhanced connectivity, following the award of an £89 million contract.
The five-year contract has been awarded to BAE Systems to design and manufacture a deployable tactical Wide Area Network (WAN) known as ‘TRINITY’ – delivering a highly secure and state-of-the-art battlefield internet capability to UK forces.
This contract named Design and Systems Integration Delivery (DSID) will directly support the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by backing 60 UK jobs based in Dorset. It will also see further investment into UK skills from BAE Systems, their partners and across the supporting supply chain.
Working together with trusted partners, including L3 Harris, KBR and PA Consulting, BAE Systems will combine its defence communications systems expertise and experience to develop, deliver and deploy world-leading network capability to the UK Armed Forces.
Trinity’s resilience is based on its composition. It is made up of a series of nodes, each able to add, access and move data in a secure network. If a number of nodes are damaged in warfare, the rest automatically re-route to maintain optimum network speed and flow of information, making it highly effective.
Replacing the existing Falcon network, due to be retired in 2026, ‘TRINITY’ will ensure UK Armed Forces on land can interact faster with allies, whether operating as a single nation or as part of an international coalition, across different battlefield domains.
In this continually evolving, multi-domain environment it is vital that our personnel have access to world-leading communications capabilities while on operations.
We remain committed to working closely with the best of British industry as they support our endeavour to better connect with our allies and their assets in theatre.
The £89 million will be dedicated to the research and development phase of the programme, with ‘TRINITY’ due to be delivered from December 2025.
In an increasingly complex and fast-paced threat landscape, Trinity will empower the UK Armed Forces with a greater and more efficient view of what is happening, enabling them to make swift, informed decisions when and where it matters most.
By providing this advantage to front-line decision makers, Trinity reinforces our commitment to equipping the UK Armed Forces with the right tools to stay ahead in the ever-evolving battlespace.
‘TRINITY’ is one part of the Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems (LE TacCIS) programme, which is working to provide the next generation of tactical military communications in the land environment.
Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey engages with top defence officials in Australia, Fiji, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, and Singapore.
The UK has strengthened its defence ties with key partners in the Indo-Pacific following the visit of a senior defence minister, demonstrating our commitment to the security and stability of the region as the UK Armed Forces carry out joint exercises in the area.
Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey visited Australia, Fiji, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore, as part of a regional engagement plan to demonstrate the UK’s continued commitment across Asia and the Pacific.
The Minister’s visit coincided with a large-scale deployment of over 150 members of the Royal Marines, Army and RAF for the Australian-led Exercise Talisman Sabre. This is the largest training activity between Australian, UK and US Armed Forces and ensures interoperability in regional operations. In addition, UK forces are also deployed on Exercise Mobility Guardian, which saw an RAF A400M conduct its longest ever flight of twenty-two hours from RAF Brize Norton to Guam, demonstrating the UK’s ability to deploy into the region.
The UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region was reaffirmed in the recently published Integrated Review Refresh and Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCPR). The DCPR confirmed the continued deployment of the Royal Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels HMS SPEY and HMS TAMAR, which have been deployed in the region since leaving the UK in September 2021. The UK’s persistent maritime presence is only set to be increased with visits from Commando Force Littoral Response Group later this year, and the Carrier Strike Group which will return in 2025, building on its maiden voyage in 2021.
The UK is committed to strengthening our existing partnerships with friends and allies in the region, towards maintaining peace and protecting the rules based international order.
During my meetings with defence ministers, military chiefs and senior government officials across the region, I reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to playing a full and active role in ensuring a free, safe and open Indo-Pacific.
The Minister first visited Singapore where he met his counterpart, Deputy Defence Minister Zaqy Mohamad, to discuss ongoing defence cooperation, the UK’s Defence Command Paper Refresh and lessons learnt from Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In a subsequent visit to Fiji, Minister Heappey met Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and thanked him for Fiji’s continued contribution of service personnel to the UK Armed Forces and discussed the UK and Fiji’s work to tackle maritime security threats in the South Pacific and support for UN peacekeeping missions.
In Australia, Minister Heappey met with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, the defence ministerial team, chiefs and senior officials to discuss the UK’s security ties with Australia – including Five Eyes and AUKUS – and the direct link between security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions. The Minister also met the crews of the ships maintaining the UK’s persistent presence.
This was followed by a visit to Malaysia where Minister Heappey met the Minister of Defence, Mohammad Haji Hasan, to strengthen our bilateral defence partnership, in addition to the UK’s continued contribution to the Five Powers Defence Agreement.
The trip culminated with a visit to the Republic of Korea, where Minister Heappey represented the UK at national commemoration events for the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice. The Minister laid a wreath at the Battle of Imjin Memorial, also known as the Gloster Hill Memorial, in memory of personnel from The Gloucestershire Regiment who died in one of the conflict’s deadliest battles. He accompanied 11 British Korean War Veterans and four who served in Korea following the War, at national commemorative events.
A £2.5 billion investment in stockpiles and a Global Response Force are behind a refreshed plan to improve the warfighting readiness of the British Armed Forces.
The Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCP23), published today, takes learnings from the war in Ukraine – and wider threats to our security – and sets out a plan to deliver a credible warfighting force that will keep us on track to act as a global heavyweight both now and in the future.
It follows the publication of the Integrated Review Refresh earlier this year, which identified Russia as the most acute threat to our security, recognised China as a long-term systemic challenge, and predicted a more adversarial international system.
The DCP23 outlines how the British Armed Forces will modernise and adapt to the changing global picture and, in particular, we will prioritise investment in science and technology to ensure we have a force greater than the sum of our parts.
It sets out:
We must adapt and modernise to meet the threats we face, taking in the lessons from President Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
This Defence Command Paper will sharpen our strategic approach – ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of military capability, and a leading power in NATO.
Since the Defence Command Paper 2021 was published, the UK has led the way in Europe on support for Ukraine’s defence and remained a leading contributor to NATO, consistently meeting the commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on Defence and moving towards 2.5%.
In the last two years, the world has changed and the threats and challenges we face have evolved, including Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Our Armed Forces are central to protecting the UK around the clock and when global security is challenged, we have seen the effect it can have on our economic security. With a more campaigning approach to global competition, the DCP23 will support the Prime Minister’s priorities of growing the economy and reducing inflation.
The recent increased investment of £5 billion at the Spring Budget allows the Ministry of Defence to plan ahead, with the Defence budget – for the first time – over £50 billion a year. The certainty over an increased budget will support greater integration between government and UK industry, which is fundamental to sustaining the fighting force, developing and exploiting new technologies, and producing the equipment we need to sustain the fight.
Our people and their expertise are at the heart of what we do, underpinning our strategic advantage across all domains and delivering a force that deters against threats and defends our homeland and those of our Allies.
We also recognise that to maintain advantage over adversaries we have to do things differently, responding to rapidly evolving geopolitical, technological and economic threats, learning lessons from Ukraine, and championing closer integration with our Allies and partners.
This Defence Command Paper sets out how we’ll do this – prioritising investment in replenishment, modernising our forces and embodying a fully integrated approach to deterrence and defence.
DCP23 is broken down into a number of chapters based on priorities, including, People; Science, Innovation and Technology; Industry; Productivity; Deterrence and Defence; Campaigning and Global Competition; Strength through our Partnerships; Strategic Resilience.