Guidance

Our finest asset: what it means to serve in the 21st century (accessible version)

Published 22 March 2021

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

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Foreword

Secretary of State for Defence

My time in uniform gave me first hand experience of the trials and tribulations that serving personnel often face. Whilst it is a privilege to have served, we should never take for granted our peoples’ sense of duty.

With the launch of Defence in a Competitive Age, we are changing our operating approach to meet the ambition for Global Britain and to protect the UK, its citizens and its interests, from the changing threats. As the operating environment changes, so must Defence.

At the heart of this Government’s modernisation programme for our armed forces is a renewed offer to our finest military asset – our serving personnel.

We will attract and retain a diverse, inclusive, motivated and professional workforce, drawn from across the Union and the Commonwealth, equipped with the specialist skills required for contemporary conflict and competition.

We will organise, support and reward our people, through new career structures and a renewed offer that better reflects the way they want to live and work in the 21st century.

I hope, this booklet reassures you about the changes ahead, and that like me, you will be excited by the new opportunities this modernisation programme offers you and our armed forces community.

Rt Hn Ben Wallace MP

Ministry for Defence People and Veterans

As the Minister for Defence People in the Ministry of Defence and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs in the Cabinet Office, I wanted to ensure the opportunity presented by the Prime Minister’s Integrated Review is seized upon to present a renewed offer to you, our serving personnel and our finest military asset.

The nature of conflict and competition is constantly changing, and the demands placed upon the UK’s Armed Forces are multiplying and diversifying at pace. But our one constant has always been you. Your unrelenting enthusiasm, professionalism, courage and commitment stands forthright in a changing world. You are our finest asset, and I am determined that you will be treated as such.

You have been recruited from, and will ultimately retire to, civilian life. We are clear that we have a duty to ensure there are no barriers to our people translating the plethora of skills and qualifications they acquire during their Service into civilian life once they retire.

This renewed offer is designed to continue to attract the most talented individuals in a competitive field to serve in the UK Armed Forces. From new career structures such as lateral entry to novel technical trades in cyber and space, to wraparound childcare paid for by the MOD to ensure you are supported on your job; from more opportunities to deploy on exciting operations using world leading equipment; to employing elite sports science health and wellbeing to help you become the best version of yourself, these are just some of the many highlights of a military career in the 21st century.

With the UK’s first Office for Veterans’ Affairs now established, this Prime Minister is very clear that the UK should be the best country in the world to live in as an Armed Forces veteran.

Whether it’s a guaranteed interview with the civil service, a railcard for you and your family, or specific veteran mental health care pathways through the NHS in Op COURAGE, veterans care in the UK is modernising at pace too.

We have long acclaimed you as our finest asset. This booklet outlines that commitment to you. You deserve nothing less.

Johnny Mercer MP

A changing word: the Integrated Review

We are facing a world of threats that go beyond the traditional battlefield, across all domains, at home and overseas. We cannot afford to stand still while the world changes around us.

The Integrated Review (IR) outlines the foreign policy and national security approach of the British Government to ensure we can meet the challenges of a changing world. In November 2020, the Prime Minister announced the first outcome of the IR: the biggest programme of investment in defence since the end of the Cold War, increasing spending by £24-billion to radically modernise our farmed Forces and ensure you, our serving personnel, have the skills, equipment and support to meet these challenges.

The IR sets out four overarching objectives:

1. Increase the use of science, technology and data to achieve the UK’s goals, firmly establishing the UK as a science and tech superpower.
2. Shape the international order to increase openness in our societies and economies, helping our citizens and others around the world realise the full benefits of democracy, free trade and international cooperation – not least in the future frontiers of cyberspace and space.
3. Strengthen security and defence at home and overseas, helping us to maximise the benefits of openness and protect our people against physical, economic and online threats.
4. Build resilience, improving our ability to anticipate, prevent, prepare for and respond to risks ranging from extreme weather to cyber-attacks. This will also involve tackling risks at source – such as climate change and global health risks.

How defence is meeting the new challenges

The Integrated Operating Concept, published in 2020, sets out how our armed forces will become more versatile and flexible in delivering a range of tasks.

The core elements that underpin this are:

Our people, from all four corners of the UK, the Commonwealth and beyond, are our most important resource. They give us our edge. We will need to attract a more diverse workforce with the skills and experience required to operate in the information age.

Our allies and partners help us share the responsibilities of security and provide a force multiplication effect. NATO will remain the bedrock of our security. We will also look to other alliances and partnerships around the world.

Innovation and experimentation, will be the drivers of modernisation with access to cutting-edge technology.

Our values, are our abiding strength. We will not compromise them despite attempts by our rivals to undermine the rules and behaviours that we hold dear.

Understanding and assessment, will be increasingly important to effective decision-making and action.

What does this mean for you?

The world and the workplace are changing quickly and defence has to remain flexible, able to adapt to unpredictable events.

The decisions made in the Integrated Review mean that:

• you will be working with and operating alongside new cutting-edge technology
• you will have a chance to develop specialist skills fit for the digital age
• you will have more opportunities for operational service overseas
• you will have the chance to be a part of new special operations capable forces, employed to counter terrorism and constrain hostile state activity
• we will re-focus the armed forces on frontline roles.

Review of the military remuneration package

Our offer to you will adapt to meet the new world we need to operate within. This is why we will undertake a comprehensive, cost-neutral review of the military remuneration package, to ensure that it is fit for purpose in an era of global persistent competition. Reporting directly to Ministers, the review will be led by an individual with a proven track record of managing global talent from outside the MOD and will help us develop a modern military offer for you that is tailored for different stages of your career and your skills.

The Defence People Strategy

Our Defence People Strategy sets out how we will continue to support you with the right skills throughout your career and grow your own development.

It has five objectives to help us achieve this:

1. Deliver an adaptable and sustainable workforce that can meet the changing demands on defence, while harnessing modern technologies to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness.
2. Maximise the use of talent across the military and civilian workforce, ensuring that our people are developed and employed where they are needed most.
3. Provide attractive offers that access and retain talented people and give individuals more opportunity to shape a lived experience that resonates with a wide and increasingly diverse workforce.
4. Build a stronger, more effective People Function, so we make better, evidence based, decisions relating to our civilian and military workforce.
5. Create a diverse and inclusive workforce, which better represents the society we serve.

Front Line Commands’ Change Programmes

Royal Navy People Vision

As part of the Royal Navy’s commitment to you, we will deliver ‘an offer’ that is better tailored to your individual needs. We will:

Empower and trust you as a professional

• more control of your career.
• less churn. More stability. Better lived experience.
• honest and regular feedback on performance.

Reward your unique commitment, contribution and innovation

• invest in your talent and unique individual skills.
• support the needs of the modern family.
• more opportunities to see more of the world.

Strive for balance across work, home and family life and support your health and wellbeing

• fully crewing all operational platforms by 2022, recovering all pinch points by 2023 and giving you a more stable and predictable deployment schedule.
• a more diverse Navy with more women and more people from ethnic minorities.
• specialist welfare staff for front line units.
• promoting positive mental fitness.

Offer world class training to enable you to grow and succeed

• modern digitised training, tailored to your individual learning needs, with opportunities for accelerated career progression.
• training accredited to industry recognised Apprentice Standards.
• a through-career personal development programme.
• coaching to help you become “the best version of yourself”.
• building your individual physical, psychological resilience.

Provide transparency and visibility of decisions and their impact

• more accessible information for you and your family through ‘MyNavy’
• reconfiguring our Branches and Specialisations to be more sustainable
• improving the culture and behaviours of the organisation
• empowering the Chain of Command to solve issues quicker on the front line
• reducing disruption to unit programmes.

Unique opportunities to thrive and unlock your potential. Valued and respected as individuals, who operate and fight to win.

Army People Vision

Our people are the competitive edge, prepared to win in the digital age.

This change programme will create an Army that is better matched to current and future threats, but which also values you. We will ensure a diverse and skilled force, ready for the future and we will build on the offer already in place for our people.

Our people are valued

• an inclusive culture where all individuals are valued is a non-negotiable element of the Army offer.
• the Army will provide opportunity for all, foster a sense of belonging, develop teamwork and truly represent the society it serves.
• this will be delivered through the Army’s Diversity and Inclusivity Strategy and will be supported by behaviours training and a programme of cultural change.

Personal and Professional Development

• greater investment in our people and their training needs.
• a greater emphasis on professional training and skill development, with accredited programmes.
• an opportunity for advanced cultural and language training.

Supported and rewarded

• competitive pay and allowances.
• building upon our welfare support services and enhancing our relationships with Armed Forces charities.
• the OPSMART (Optimising Physical Stress Management and Resilience Training) programme will operate alongside our physical training and rehabilitation.
• improvements in accommodation, including more choice and higher standards.

Programme Castle

• increasing opportunities for you across the force, ensuring talented people get to where they want and need to be
• flexible and attractive career choices that suit you and the lives you lead, including:
         a). accelerated promotion for the best
        b). the choice of longer service for those with specialist skills
        c). reviewing the Length of Service for greater flexibility and choice
        d). new professions suited to current and emerging threats
        e). updating the Army Talent Framework to make movement between jobs and organisations easier.

People are not ‘in the Army’ – they are the Army.

Royal Air Force People Vision

Astra will transform the RAF’s people ‘offer’ and build the foundations for the next 100 years of air and space power delivery.

We’re developing a workforce that is fit for the future, by focusing on three pillars.

Workforce agility

• an inclusive workforce, reflecting the society you live in
• harness the potential of technology to empower you - allowing you to choose how, when and where you work, wherever possible
• modernise recruitment and selection, improving the experience for personnel
• develop the re-joiners scheme, ensuring greater opportunities and matching skills to requirements.

HR/People services delivery

• rewards and benefits that suit individual needs and circumstances
• we will modernise and optimise delivery of HR services across the RAF.

Future talent and skills

• recognition for talent and skills will be flexible
• new career pathways, creating better opportunities for those with experience and specialised skills
• a professions framework, streamlining 70+ Branches & Trades into 11 Professions.

The benefits we will deliver for our people

• a flexible place to work that better balances individual and Service needs
• an agile reward and benefits offer, recognising that one-size does not fit all
• less bureaucracy, red-tape and unnecessary processes through digitalisation
• increased career flexibility – across the Whole Force
• increased motivation, engagement and satisfaction in being part of a progressive
• forward-looking, leading-edge air and space force.

A world-class integrated, capable and inclusive air force delivering decisive effect across all domains.

UK Strategic Command People Vision

Defence’s newest command, Strategic Command, is at the heart of confronting the myriad of threats we now face. We are leading the way in orchestrating activity across all domains – air, sea, land, cyber and space. To enable this we exploit data, experiment constantly and invest in emerging technologies such as drone swarms.

In Strategic Command you get the benefit of your Service offer whilst developing your skills in an environment that’s progressive, innovative and inclusive. You will work alongside fellow Service personnel, civilians, partners and ally nations and have an unparalleled opportunity to experience joint operations. This ranges from serving in the Permanent Joint Headquarters, delivering space-based capabilities, being a member of the National Cyber Force, deploying as part of the Carrier Strike Group, or conducting special operations.

One of our core roles in Defence is to bring together and optimise the delivery of specialist capabilities such cyber, medical and intelligence. To support this we have set up Unified Career Management, a mechanism through which we can career manage and remunerate joint capabilities in a more bespoke way, aligned with an individual’s skills and experience. We have already onboarded specialist cyber trades, with medical cohorts set to follow by June 22; further cohorts are under consideration.

To find out whether you have what it takes for a career in cyber, look out for the release of our new online assessment. For further information regarding cyber careers, please get in touch with your chain of command.

Agile, specialist, and at the cutting edge of modern operations – we bring together the integrated force.

Supporting you while you serve

• Pension: The UK Armed Forces pension is one of the most generous schemes in the country.
• Pay: You are paid a competitive salary and compensated for the additional costs of service life.
• Deployment: When you are deployed overseas, you could be eligible for additional allowances, leave and a welfare package.
• Travel: Life in the Services often means a lot of travel and we support you with the cost.
• Relocation: If you must move to another part of the country or overseas, we will help you with the cost.
• Starting a family: Your family matters, and we can help support you when you want to start one.
• Re-joining: After you leave, defence will welcome you back to the armed forces, if you want to return. There are several different ways you can do this.
• Accommodation: As a condition of your service as a Regular we support your accommodation.
• Health and welfare: Your health and wellbeing matters and we will help you mentally and physically to become the best version of yourself.
• Professional development: We’ll make sure you have the skills and knowledge you need for a career in and beyond the armed forces.
• Sport and adventurous training: Whether you want to participate competitively or for the challenge, there are plenty of ways to take part in sport and adventurous training.
• Food and messing: As a member of the armed forces you have access to messing facilities and amenities.
• Flexible working: Flexible working options to support your work/life balance.

Pay

The MOD spends just under £6 billion a year on pay and rates are advised by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

• your core pay is supplemented by X-Factor, currently set at an additional 14.5%. This through career payment compensates you for the unique aspects of Service life, such as risk to life and separation from family and friends
• experience and skills will continue to be rewarded through annual pay increments for most serving personnel
• the recent 5-yearly review of trade supplements recognises the increase in skills of Other Ranks and will be reflected in pay
• we will undertake an independent, cost-neutral review of the military remuneration package to make sure it supports you throughout your career, as you operate in new ways.

Pension

You start earning your pension from the day your service starts.

• you do not contribute to your pension pot
• your family will be supported financially if you die in service.

Accommodation

You can apply for an interest-free loan of up to £25,000 to help you buy your first home.

• Single Living Accommodation will see a £1.5-billion investment for improvements over the next ten years
• in the coming years, you will be given more choice over where, how, and with whom you live, through the Future Accommodation Model
• if you are in a long term-relationship in the UK, you can apply for family accommodation, where surplus quarters are available.

Health and welfare

You will have free access to gyms on site and top-quality healthcare (including dentistry) and throughcareer specialist mental fitness and resilience tools and training. You will have access to HeadFIT, a free online platform designed for the Armed Forces that provides 24/7 access to self-help tools that can enhance mood, drive confidence, and help manage everyday life stresses.

A pathway to build you up, mentally and physically, through our worldclass recovery centres.

Access to the Armed Forces Partner Career Support Programme scheme for bespoke professional career support to Service partners or spouses from across the Armed Forces.

The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is there to provide you with tax-free lump sums as financial compensation for any illness, injury, or death caused by service. These awards range from £1,236 to £650,000. For serious injuries and illness, the AFCS also provides a Guaranteed Income Payment.

Professional development

Over 80% of armed forces recruits will be offered apprenticeships, with a third of these in science and technology fields.

As part of your time in service, you will have fantastic opportunities for Further Education and trade related training throughout your careers, including elective qualifications and membership of professional bodies. These range from basic skills to nationally recognised civilian qualifications.

You can claim up to £6,000 over your career, through the Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme, to work towards a nationally recognised qualification.

Sport and adventurous training

Whether you are already a skilled and regular participant, or just want to try a new sport, you will be encouraged to make the most of the opportunities that exist in a wide variety of individual and team sports.

AT courses and instructor qualifications are available in nine AT disciplines including Canoeing, Mountain Biking, Skiing (both Nordic and Alpine), Offshore Sailing, Parachuting and Sub Aqua Diving. Opportunities also exist to participate in expeditions overseas.

Food and messing

including dining facilities, a bar, TV room, games room and social activities when you are not deployed abroad, or at sea.

When you are unable to eat in the Mess, there are several schemes to cover your expenses.

Flexible working

Defence can provide you with opportunities for flexible working to support changing circumstances where there is no impact on operational capability.

• flexible opportunities available to you range from remote working and variable work hours, to dialling down your commitment level for fixed periods through part-time working, restricted separation or a temporary break
• the Flexible Paid Leave allows you to enjoy a short break. Options include calling forward ten days of leave from the following year’s entitlement, transferring up to ten days annual leave to a serving spouse or partner.
• after 15 years of service you can take an extended 50-day block of leave and you can also apply for Special Unpaid Leave, for up to 93 days in a given leave year, or a career intermission for personal or professional reasons, from three months up to three years.

Re-joining

Last year we launched the Service for Experienced Rejoiner and Volunteer Engagements (SERVE). This digital service gives you an easy way to discover how you can use your experience, including as a reservist.

Deployment

Operational Allowance recognises the significantly increased and enduring nature of the danger when deployed to certain operational locations.

For specific operational deployments of over 9 months, Campaign Continuity Allowance may also be paid.

Concessionary Travel for your immediate family provides additional support while you are deployed for extended periods, by enabling them to travel and visit close family whether you are permanently based in the UK or overseas.

Relocation

Disturbance Expense helps you with the cost of moving when you are permanently assigned to a new location overseas or in the UK. Movement and Storage of Personal Effects allowance provides you with assistance to store personal possessions belonging to you and your family when you are assigned to a new location either in the UK or overseas.

If you are assigned overseas (not on operations) then you will receive an allowance that is targeted to address the additional cost of living when compared to being assigned in the UK. You will also be entitled to claim for travel back to the UK with your immediate family at least once per year, with the Get You Home Allowance.

Travel

Home to Duty Travel provides a contribution towards the cost of commuting.

Get You Home (Travel) reduces the impact of separation from your family when you are required to work away from your home.

Starting a family

£1.4-billion over the next 10 years on wraparound childcare. This could be worth £5,800 a year for a family with two children. Through initiatives such as wraparound childcare, and by increasing opportunities for flexible service, we are determined to make the Armed Forces a more family friendly employer, encouraging our people to pursue long and fulfilling careers in uniform.

Supporting you as you leave

Your career in military service gives you unrivalled skills and experiences that you can use in civilian life.

Whether you’re joining the civilian job market, investing in yourself through further education, or setting up your own business, there is a whole range of support to give you the tools you need to highlight your value to civilian employers and to get the most out of life outside the forces.

If you’re a Regular Service leaver, you will get resettlement leave, a training grant, travel costs and specialist briefs on topics such as finance and housing. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be eligible for duty time, financial assistance and access to Career Transition Partnership (CTP) services, including workshops, seminars, career advice and training, and job-finding support paid for by MOD.

Reporting directly to Ministers, we will lead a review into the professional accreditation of career courses to ensure you are prepared for that return to civilian life.

Leaving the Service involves a lot more than a change in career, so support is also at hand to help you and your family adjust to the many aspects of civilian life that differ from life in the military - like where and how you live, looking after your health and managing your money. We will also support you with a new ‘life skills’ training package coming soon for you and your family throughout your military career to help you look ahead and plan for the future.

Should you need more support in adapting to civilian life, the Defence Transition Services (DTS) also provides extra tailor-made support for you and your family, with caseworkers who are based across the UK guiding you to the right support for you, whether it’s local authorities, the NHS or trusted charities.

Supporting you as a veteran

Veterans care in the UK has evolved over the last 10 years, including the creation of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) by the Prime Minister in 2019. The OVA seeks to pull together the range of support to fulfil the PM’s ambition to level up access whenever you leave and deliver support for you whenever you need it.

There is a range of Government support for veterans and their families living across the UK. For anyone who needs help, the MOD provides a free service through Veterans UK to give advice and support and your Veterans ID Card when issued which will help you access specialist support and services.

The charity sector is always there to help you, and is going through its own transformation as we recover from a global pandemic, which we are working in lockstep with to ensure they too are supported.

Your Health

As an Armed Forces veteran, you may have seen and experienced things that few others – thankfully – will ever have to. But this can have an effect on your mental health and that is what is at the heart of Op COURAGE – ensuring that the NHS is a National Hero Service. It does not matter if you’re due to leave the Armed Forces, just left the Armed Forces or left many years ago, Op COURAGE is here to help and understand the courage it takes to speak to someone. Once you’ve registered with a GP the NHS will look after your health needs in whichever part of the UK you choose to settle. With veterans - aware GP practices and Veteran Aware NHS trusts, you will be able to access several excellent specialist services for veterans, such as mental health support including a trauma treatment service among others.

Your Employment

The skills and experience you have gained during your military service will be a huge help to you in securing your next job. There are a range of initiatives to assist you; including offering employers a break in paying national insurance if they employ you during your first year of civilian work, and new routes into working for the Civil Service, for example, through interview and placement schemes. Further support is available through the Armed Forces champions throughout the JobCentre Plus network, who have a specialist understanding of your military experiences and skills and there is much more to come.

Your Accommodation

You can retain your stay in Service Family Accommodation for up to a year, subject to surplus accommodation being available and on payment of market rates.

Travel

Purchasing the Veterans’ Railcard offers you up to a 30% saving for you and your family from rail travel throughout the UK.

Advice

Veterans UK provides free support for veterans and their families including a helpline, Veterans Welfare Service and injury and bereavement compensation scheme payments. Substantial annual funding is allocated to the Veterans’ Gateway and £10-million each year is distributed via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund to charities that support veterans and their families. We will further strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant in law to ensure serving personnel and veterans are not disadvantaged by their service and there is special provision for injured and bereaved.