F o r e w o r d
FOREWORD BY ACM SIR CLIVE LOADER - CINC AIR
F
amilies are, indeed, the foundation of the Royal Air Force and we could not achieve the operational
success we deliver every day were it not for the support we receive from family members, be they parents, spouses, partners or members of the extended RAF family. I am acutely aware that all is not as it should be for our families and that there are many family-related issues that deserve our attention. At the most senior levels of the Service, we continue to focus our efforts on delivering the best possible support to those whose burdens include operational detachments, separation from loved ones, frequent mobility and, in some cases, sub- standard accommodation.
The establishment of the RAF Families Federation late last year was a significant step forward in providing an independent voice for
serving personnel and their families. I am extremely keen to see all personnel make best use of this conduit since the Federation can access the most senior staffs in the RAF and the MOD, including Ministers (where appropriate). The evidence gathered from you, whether from the website, hotline or unit visits, can influence emerging policy and can certainly help the staffs prioritise the inevitably limited funding available, ensuring that those issues causing most concern are put at the top of the agenda.
I commend the RAF Families Federation to you all and urge you to make contact with them about those issues that are causing you and your loved ones significant concern. I see the Federation as a barometer for the strength of feeling out there within the RAF community, and I hope it will act as a constant reminder of the importance of family to the RAF, focussing our attention both on the recruitment and, critically, the retention of the entire family.
Spring 2008
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