With the House of Commons due to commence consideration of the Government's proposed amendments to the Troubles Bill on Monday (19th October), the Commons Library has updated its research briefing on this subject:

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) is stepping up its engagement with serving personnel, service leavers, veterans and their families, highlighting opportunities for careers in armed policing and other specialist roles.

New opinion polling suggests that young people may be more receptive to a year of national service than is sometimes assumed. And a separate poll published today suggests that support for higher defence spending has significantly increased, yet half of the adults surveyed would not personally fight in a war for Britain.

Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner David Johnstone has expressed serious concerns about the Government's proposed legacy legislation, warning that it could expose former service personnel to further investigations and prolonged legal proceedings.

Two former senior Army commanders have warned that the Government's latest amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill still leave veterans exposed to repeated investigations and legal proceedings.

Al Carns MP, the former Armed Forces Minister, has tabled amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill intended to transfer previously halted Troubles-related inquests to the new Legacy Commission. This post has now been extended to include explanation of the UK-Ireland Joint Framework.

Following the oral hearing on 8 October, the MOD has obtained permission from the Inner House of the Court of Session to pursue a further appeal in the Milroy reservist pension case.

The Government has today laid before Parliament the promised package of amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill which it says will "provide lasting protections which ensure former Armed Forces and police personnel are treated with fairness, dignity and respect."

Local Staff International (LSI), an international organisation campaigning for the rights and protection of locally employed personnel, has published comprehensive Guidelines for the Rights & Protection of Local Staff in International Missions.

Evidence emerging from the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan has been referred to service police for consideration of possible serious criminal offences involving UK Special Forces personnel.

An NHS initiative aimed at improving access to healthcare for serving Armed Forces personnel has reduced waiting times by more than four weeks in two important medical specialities.

The MOD recently released figures on the take-up of the compensation scheme for veterans who served under, and were impacted by, the ban on LGBT personnel in HM Armed Forces from 1967 to 2000. This is a timely reminder that applications close at 11.59pm on 12 December 2026.

The Armed Forces Commissioner has launched a call for evidence focussing on welfare, behaviours and lived experience at Phase 1 Training Establishments.

The Commissioner wants to hear from current and former recruits, staff or family members supporting Service personnel through Phase 1 training over the last 5 years.

Evidence should be submitted by 1 Nov 2026.

Reports that £800 million of planned military housing investment has been postponed raise an immediate question for Service families: what improvements can they now expect during this Parliament?

A new photographic exhibition in Ukraine is highlighting a substantial but perhaps sometimes overlooked British military effort – the training of more than 67,000 Ukrainian personnel under the UK-led Operation Interflex.

A rigorous Northern Ireland "Article 2" inquest found in 2024 that the use of lethal force against three IRA men by UK special forces at Coagh, Co Tyrone in 1991 was legally justified.

Our recent Member Opinion on Sir David Davis MP’s Military Operations Bill raised a number of questions about the proposed new legal framework for military operations, including the extent of the duty to investigate allegations of serious wrongdoing.

The Armed Forces Bill proposes to abolish the 13 existing regional Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) and replace them with a new "streamlined" national structure. Jesse Norman MP has a piece in The Telegraph which concludes:

Would you like to contribute to the current debate about legacy investigations in connection with Op Banner and other operations, and what should be the legal regime for future military operations?

Veterans, reservists, Service leavers and military family members are invited to a three‑part webinar series showcasing accessible career routes across health and social care.

Ofsted has issued its eighteenth annual report on the effectiveness of care and welfare arrangements for recruits, trainees and officer cadets in Armed Forces initial training.

Members of the UK Armed Forces do not have the same arrangements for collective representation as many other groups in society.

The Ministry of Defence has announced a further package of reforms intended to give Service families a greater say in the management of their homes.

The United States has gone considerably further in developing specialist Veterans Treatment Courts. These are not directly transferable to the UK – the legal systems and veteran populations are different, and they have higher percentages both of veterans, and of veterans in prison – but they have generated a useful body of research.

The great majority of Armed Forces veterans never enter the criminal justice system. A minority do, however, and there is now a substantial network of statutory and voluntary-sector support intended to identify veterans who come into contact with the police, courts, prisons and probation services and, where appropriate, help them address the problems associated with their offending.

The House of Lords has completed detailed Committee consideration of the Armed Forces Bill, with a lengthy debate on the Reserve Forces producing questions which went considerably wider than the provisions of the Bill itself.

In today's House of Lords debate on the Armed Forces Bill, defence minister Lord Coaker introduced a new draft clause to permit formal call-out and recall notices to be served by email as well as by post.

The clause is a lengthy one, and says that

The new Northern Ireland Secretary does not believe that any former British soldier would face prosecution under the controversial Troubles Bill. Read on for

Reform UK should clarify a potentially far-reaching proposal to give members of the Armed Forces immunity from prosecution for actions taken during combat operations.

A substantial new report from Policy Exchange examines the role of the Special Air Service in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner and the continuing investigation of events which took place decades ago.

The leadership and staff of the Military Court Service (MCS) can take quiet satisfaction in their inspection report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).

A legal claim brought by serving and former Royal Marines and British Army personnel over alleged exposure to asbestos during training in Latvia has been settled without any admission of liability by the Ministry of Defence.

ITV News has published a substantial investigation into the experiences of women in the Armed Forces, including allegations of sexual assault, harassment and failures in the way complaints have been handled.

The new Armed Forces Commissioner website brings together information about the Commissioner’s role and the help which the office can provide.

What does it mean for our serving members and their families? What does it mean for BAFF itself?

Following the recent AFPRB award and its headline increase of 3.6% for the current year, the 2027/28 armed forces pay round has now begun.

Inverclyde Council is one of several Scottish local authorities which have agreed to award the Freedom of their area to the Royal Regiment of Scotland in this, its 20th year.

After the Glasgow controversy it was pleasant to learn from the Greenock Telegraph that the Council have now confirmed the date and arrangements for the Regiment's Freedom Ceremony.

AFPRB UPDATE: The full AFPRB report and recommendations for financial year 2026-27, accepted by the Government and published on 9 June 2026, is now available at this link: Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body Fifty-Fifth Report 2026.

The Prime Minister said in Parliament today that Glasgow City Council should 'reconsider' its controversial decision last week to reject a motion to grant the Freedom of the City

Following an evidence session with her on Wednesday (26 Mar), the House of Commons Defence Committee has recommended the Defence Secretary to proceed with the appointment of his preferred candidate for Armed Forces Commissioner, retired RAF Air Commodore Polly Miller-Perkins.

The Government proposes, in the Armed Forces Bill currently before Parliament, to establish a new standalone corporate body to be called the Defence Housing Service.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) held this week a webinar exploring opportunities for service leavers and veterans in armed policing.

The Labour Party's 2024 General Election manifesto included a commitment to "strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities by putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law", and in June 2025 following a Defence Committee report on the Armed Forces Covenant, the Government committed to extending the Covenant’s Legal Duty to all UK Government departments and the devolved administrations.

The Ministry of Defence has announced that for the first time, free, independent legal advice will be available to victim-survivors of rape and sexual offences (allegedly) committed by Service personnel or a civilian subject to Service Discipline that are being investigated by the Service Justice System.