Military covenant

The military covenant is a term recently used mainly by the British Army, other British armed forces and the media in relation to the question of adequate safeguards, rewards and compensation for military personnel who risk their lives in obedience to military orders derived from the policy of the elected civilian government. It is argued that armed forces personnel should expect to be treated fairly by the Crown and expect the support of the nation, society and the government.

The Ministry of Defence [ [http://www.armyjobs.mod.uk/howdoijoin/rolesranks/Pages/CoreValuesandtheMilitaryCovenant.aspx Army Jobs - Core Values and the Military Covenant ] ] states "In putting the needs of the Nation, The Army and others before their own, they forgo some of the rights enjoyed by those outside the Armed Forces. So, at the very least, British soldiers should always expect the Nation and their commanders to treat them fairly, to value and respect them as individuals, and to sustain and reward them and their families."

Although the term "covenant" implies some form of legal guarantee or contract, there is in fact no basis in UK law, custom or history for such covenant. Members of the armed forces are recruited and maintained by successive quinquennial Armed Forces Acts as a specific, albeit continuing, derogation from the Bill of Rights 1689, which otherwise prohibits the Crown from maintaining a standing army. The Armed Forces Acts guarantee no such covenant, neither do the Notice Papers served on recruits when attested on enlistment. And, on the other hand, the very existence of the armed forces is for some members of society controversial.

There has been increased media coverage of the so-called military covenant as the government has been accused of failing to meet it; this criticism came from not just the media, but also several previous Chiefs of the Defence Staff said the government needed to do more to help support injured troops and their families. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7108650.stm BBC NEWS | Politics | Brown hits back on forces funding ] ] [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2215932,00.html Defence secretary hits back at admiral's criticism | UK news | guardian.co.uk ] ] [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/23/narmy223.xml Army funding shortage 'is insult to troops' - Telegraph ] ] Such coverage has rarely questioned the validity of the "covenant", or reflected opposing views.

External links

* http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2007/03/the_braking_of.html
* http://credo.typepad.co.uk/credo_/2007/01/the_military_co.html

References