Ashcroft The Armed Forces and Society

The Military in Britain - through the eyes of Service personnel, employers and the public
1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-84954-440-5
Verlag: Biteback Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 70 Seiten

Based on extensive research on both sides of the Atlantic - including the biggest ever independent survey of serving personnel - The Armed Forces & Society offers a compelling insight into the views of our Armed Forces and the public they serve. The experience of wearing uniform in public, how society could show its appreciation for Service personnel in a more tangible way, their career expectations in civilian life and the attitudes of employers towards those leaving the Forces are among this issues discussed in this unique exploration of the relationship between our society and its military.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ashcroft, Michael

Leseproben

Introduction

When British combat troops withdraw in 2014, their operation in Afghanistan will have lasted thirteen years. During that time, as a result of their commitments in that country, as well as Iraq, Libya and throughout the world, our Armed Forces have been in the public eye for longer and to a greater degree than at any time since the Second World War.

This year, we mark thirty years since our Forces liberated the Falkland Islands from invasion.

By the end of 2015, some 17,000 of our Service personnel will have been made redundant. Most of them will be looking for new civilian careers at a time when jobs are hard to come by.

For all of these reasons, it is an appropriate time to take stock of our relationship with our Armed Forces and the men and women who serve in them. How do we in Britain see our military? Do we think Service personnel, and former personnel, get the recognition we believe they deserve? What is the perspective of those currently serving in the Forces, and those who have recently done so? What impressions do employers have of the kind of person they would be taking on if they hired someone leaving the Services?

To explore these questions – with the kind permission of the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, and organisational help from the Ministry of Defence – I have conducted a unique independent survey of military personnel, together with focus groups of members of the Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Research was also carried out among former Service personnel, the general public, and those responsible for recruitment in small and medium sized businesses (which provide the bulk of jobs). Further focus groups among personnel in the US Armed Services and a poll of the American public have offered an instructive comparison for the way public support can find tangible expression.

The purpose of this work is not to ask whether the government does enough for the troops, whether public resources are allocated in the right way, or to assess the provision available to serving or former personnel. That is a separate debate. Here I am interested the perceptions of the Forces and wider society about the relationship that exists between them. There is more to a society than its government.

Not surprisingly, we found public support for the military to be very high, both in absolute terms and in comparison to other popular British institutions like the NHS and the BBC. Service personnel felt this to be the case, and that support had increased in recent years; indeed those who had served longest often said public esteem for the Forces was higher than they had ever known it. However, Service personnel felt – as most of the public readily admitted – that most people outside the military know little or nothing about day-to-day life in the Forces. Some of those we spoke to in more senior ranks were concerned that, since the improvement in public support was down to greater visibility in recent years, so it might begin to wane after current missions ended.

Also not surprisingly, the public had a very high regard for serving personnel, though they tended to think many of them probably joined in the first place for want of any other option. When speaking about individual members of the Forces people would usually mention, before very long, what they regarded as the very high risk of their being injured or killed. In the poll, more than nine out of ten thought it was common or very common for personnel leaving the Forces to have some kind of physical, emotional or mental health problem (though personnel themselves did not seem to share this view). It was also the public’s strong impression that official provision for those with very serious injuries, such as the loss of a limb, must be inadequate, since they seemed to have to rely on charities for their care. In turn, some personnel were concerned that although the public view of Service personnel was mainly characterised by pride and respect, the profile of charities like Help For Heroes and the Wootton Bassett repatriation ceremonies – both of which personnel admired and appreciated greatly – had combined to create a situation whereby sympathy had come to play a significant part in the public attitude to the Forces. Gratitude for their work was appropriate, as was appreciation of the hardships they endure and the personal risks they take, but the last thing members of the Forces wanted was for people to feel sorry for them.

There have rightly been moves in recent years to encourage personnel to wear their uniform in public outside ceremonial occasions. Some are still reluctant to do this, but most of those who do so have encountered a positive response from the public. More than half of all personnel had been approached by strangers offering thanks and support, and some had been bought drinks or been offered discounts in shops or other businesses.

Shockingly, though, more than one in five members of the Forces said they had experienced strangers shouting abuse at them while wearing their uniform in public in the UK in the last five years. Nearly one in twenty said they had experienced violence or attempted violence. Forces personnel, of all people, can take care of themselves – but it is absolutely unacceptable for those who serve to be treated in this way.

Those responsible for these incidents naturally represent a tiny minority of the population. Goodwill towards Service personnel is abundant, though people are often unsure how it can be expressed appropriately. In our survey, two thirds of the American public said they had personally thanked a member of the Armed Forces or could see themselves doing so. This compared to just over a quarter of the public in Britain. Of those in Britain who said they could not imagine doing this, more than half said this was because they would be embarrassed, or they thought the person in uniform would be embarrassed. But the serving personnel we spoke to were usually pleased and encouraged when people took the trouble to speak to them – not to ask about their experiences, which they quite understandably do not want to discuss, but to offer a quiet word of thanks and support. It is something we could do more often.

Nearly two thirds of the public said they thought there was too little recognition for the Armed Forces in British society. Those who disagreed tended to stress that they appreciated what they did, but people who joined the military chose their careers and did not need to be put on a pedestal. Personnel were more likely to say there was too little recognition of veterans than that there was too little for those currently in the Forces; veterans in turn said it was those still serving who should be acknowledged. Officers were the least likely to say there should be more recognition; those at junior levels were more likely to say that more would be welcome.

When it came to what form any greater recognition could take, discussion often turned to the American way of doing things. Both Service personnel and the public had the impression that Americans went somewhat over the top in extolling their military. The custom of asking members of the Services to stand for the applause of the crowd at sports or entertainment events, for example, seemed rather alien to many of the British personnel who had experienced it. (American personnel for their part also sometimes said they found it uncomfortable, but that it served a useful purpose in showing younger members, particularly those who had been injured, that they were appreciated. They also believed it helped reinforce the standing of Service personnel, underlining their role in protecting America’s freedoms and signalling to children that they deserved respect – a particularly important factor for those who remembered how many veterans were treated on their return from Vietnam).

Despite their scepticism about the exuberant American manner of celebrating their military, British personnel who had visited the United States had enjoyed its culture of appreciation for members of the Services. “The American model without the cringe factor” (or “the good stuff without the high fives”) summed up what would be the ideal situation for many British personnel. The most tangible example of this was the routine availability of military discounts in a wide variety of businesses. This made them feel valued, as well as allowing a slightly higher standard of living, especially for more junior ranks.

A quarter of British Forces said in our survey that they had spontaneously been offered military discounts in the UK. About two thirds said they sometimes asked for one, and about half of these said this sometimes worked. Still, many did not like to ask, not just for fear of refusal but to avoid the embarrassment of a delay while the assistant went to ask a manager while a queue built up. When asked what one extra thing society could do to recognise them, wider availability of well-advertised Forces discounts were the most frequent suggestion from current personnel. A number of companies already offer such discounts – it would be a fitting gesture of support for more to join them.

Often, personnel emphasised that a bigger priority was for them not to be disadvantaged in society because they were in the Forces. Several noted that, where these disadvantages were related to access to public services, the Armed Forces Covenant was an acknowledgement that problems existed and an attempt to address them – though some personnel said they would reserve judgment until they saw practical changes to back up the good intentions.

A number of personnel gave examples of problems they faced in their dealings with private businesses....