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hen the the Armed Forces Covenant was launched in May 11, it stated: Te Armed Forces community
should not face any disadvantage compared to others. Special consideration is appropriate in some instances.
The Armed Forces Covenant is the Government’s pledge, on behalf of the nation, to its Armed Forces that its members and their families will not suffer any disadvantage because they serve. This is an across-Government commitment and encompasses areas of life including education, medical matters, accommodation and family employment.
The Covenant sets out the relationship between the nation and the Armed Forces. It recognises that the whole nation has an
Envoy Summer 2013
obligation to Service personnel and their families and it establishes how they should expect to be treated.
The idea of such a mutual obligation goes back centuries. A 1593 statute of Elizabeth I called for a weekly tax so that disabled army veterans “should at their return be relieved and rewarded to the end that they may reap the fruit of their good deservings, and others may be encouraged to perform the like endeavours”.
It was not until 2000 that the phrase ‘military covenant’ was first used, in a publication detailing the moral basis for what the Army does. It explains how ‘unlimited liability’ makes soldiering a unique activity and it clarifies what soldiers should expect in return for forfeiting some of their civil liberties.
When the Coalition government came into office in 2010 it made a commitment to rebuild the covenant. The covenant was re-named the ‘Armed Forces Covenant’ to include all three Services.
Covenant achievements since its inception • using £35 million from LIBOR rate fines levied on the banks to support the Armed Forces community
• launching the Community Covenant scheme
• providing £30 million for Community Covenant grants to local projects that support the scheme
• increasing the Pupil Premium for Service children to £300 from Apr 13 and extending it to include children of those who have died in service
• launching a Defence Discount Service
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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