As veterans and military families label the Armed Forces Covenant a “hollow commitment,” leading forces-friendly employers challenge the Ministry of Defence to back pledges with data and accountability.

A highly critical report by the Defence Select Committee, released today (April 8),following its Inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant, finds it lacks impact and is seen by many veterans and their families as a “hollow commitment”.

Organisations that have pledged their support to the Armed Forces community, including SaluteMyJob and Troopr, are calling for urgent action to restore trust and deliver more meaningful support to the UK’s 2-million-strong Armed Forces community.

More than 12,000 businesses have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. Social enterprise, SaluteMyJob, which has recently celebrated its 10th birthday, is a passionate supporter of the Armed Forces Covenant, a proud recipient of a Gold Defence Employer recognition award and an active participant in the Wessex Gold Award Association. It has also long been part of the debate about the Covenant’s effectiveness and how signatories deliver their promises to the Armed Forces community. 

“This report confirms what many of us fear — the Covenant lacks impact and, without reform, will indeed become an empty promise to the very people it is designed to support,” said Andrew Jackson, Managing Director of SaluteMyJob and chair of the collaborative #JoiningForces Group. “In its evidence to the Inquiry, the Ministry of Defence said it would be ‘very difficult to capture data’ to measure the impact of the Covenant. We challenge this assertion. That is exactly what we and others in the #JoiningForces Group are doing through our ‘Covenant Social Value’ measurement framework.  What’s missing is the will from the government.”

“The Defence Committee’s findings strike at the heart of our mission,” says Hatty Jackson, Founder of Troopr. “The support and opportunities are out there — but hidden in a maze of well-meaning initiatives, with organisations unsure how to deliver their pledges or where to showcase their support. Troopr cuts through the noise.

“We’re here to make support visible, accessible, and actionable — for the Armed Forces community and for the organisations that serve them. We stand ready to work with DRM (Defence Relationship Management) and Covenant signatories to turn good intentions into impact through smarter collaboration and better reach.”

Andrew added: “The Covenant is losing credibility with signatories and members of the military community alike. We must act now to understand, measure and maximise the social value of our work to support the Armed Forces community and realise the Covenant’s full potential.”

 

 

 

 

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