Armed Forces Day is a chance to show our support for the men and women who make up the entire Armed Forces Community: from currently serving personnel both at home and overseas, to Service families, veterans and cadets, as well as those Charities which look after them all when needed most.
Showing our appreciation and support provides a much valued morale boost for all our Armed Forces Community as they work around the clock, around the globe, promoting peace, delivering aid, tackling drug smugglers, providing security and fighting terrorism. They are always busy and much of their work, often unseen by us, we take for granted.
Yet the Armed Forces need our public support more than ever. Events across the media – in Ukraine, Iran, Gaza – show us on a daily basis that the peace we have known for decades in Europe is under threat, uncertainty on what the future holds is widespread around the globe and malign actors (be they nation states or subversive organisations) are continually attempting to undermine our security and damage our democratic way of life.
For the History buffs here, the early days of World War Two were known as the Phoney War: war had been officially declared but there was a lack of military action on the Western Front and a strange sense of unreality prevailed at home. I suggest we are now living through a period of Phoney Peace: war has not been declared but we are constantly being probed and disrupted by those who wish to destabilise our sense of peace and security.
Mark Rutte, NATO’s Secretary General has recently said that ‘We are not at war – but we are also not at peace’ and this sums up exactly where we find ourselves today. The UK Govt recognises this dire situation and has taken steps to materially uplift our Armed Forces to ready them for warfighting operations at scale within a few years.
Indeed, the recent NATO agreements to improve Defence Spending will make a significant contribution to the Alliance’s ability to deter and defend against any potential aggressor.
More money, more recruits, leading edge 21st Century capabilities and better kit are exactly what our Armed Forces need. But, critically, they also need to feel respected, valued and appreciated by those they have volunteered to protect. As a veteran myself I know only too well that, when push comes to shove, you need to know that your Country is collectively behind you and, perhaps more importantly, that your dependents and families back home are being well looked after.
So, how can we show our appreciation?
Well, the obvious ways are to attend the major Remembrance parades held every year to commemorate those who sacrificed so much during times of conflict. This year also sees the 80th Anniversary of VE ‘Victory in Europe’ and VJ ‘Victory in Japan’ Day and we have recognised these significant dates with formal Church services, beacons, street parties and community get-togethers across Moray. I urge you all to get involved and take part in these important community-led moments of remembrance, reflection and recognition. As Winston Churchill said in 1948, ‘Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it’.
Local businesses and communities can show their support too by signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant. The AFC is a promise that, together, we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, including the bereaved, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve. The AFC rests on 2 simple principles: firstly that those who serve should face no disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services & secondly that special consideration is sometimes appropriate, especially for those who have given most, such as the injured and the bereaved.
In practice that means ensuring equal access to such services as healthcare, education, childcare, housing, accommodation, employment and financial services. Moray Council has signed up to the AFC and we have an Armed Forces Champion in the Council, Counsellor Peter Bloomfield who works hard to represent the Service’s interests in the Council’s work.
Businesses can also go further and sign up to the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which encompasses Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to the Armed Forces community and align their values with the AFC. So, if you work for a local company, ask your bosses if they’ve signed up for the Employer Recognition Scheme and if not, why not!
Moray is very fortunate to have a strong regular and reserve military presence here, along with successful cadet forces. Our bases at Lossiemouth and Kinloss are constant reminders to us of the dedicated and often dangerous work our service personnel do. They are great neighbours, partners and friends. Moreover, Moray has I believe the highest percentage of veterans per head of population, of any County in the UK.
But we cannot take this proximity for granted. The Armed Forces footprint is smaller now than it has been in the past, with fewer bases and potentially less interactions between Service personnel and the public, many of whom may never have met or know someone in uniform. So that is why Armed Forces Day is so important: it is our chance to publicly thank and salute our Service personnel, to give grateful recognition to the fantastic work they do on our behalf and to ensure that the bond between society and the people who volunteer to protect it remains visible, strong and enduring.
