The Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, sets out in The Sunday Telegraph why he believes the Coalition is right to radically reform UK defences. "The vision we've set out – Future Force 2020 – ensures that by the end of the decade we have coherent, efficient and cutting-edge Armed Forces prepared for the challenges of the future."

The Guardian reports that the British Forces Broadcasting Service, for years a lifeline for members of the armed forces and their families, is to be put out to tender to competitive bidders. The report continues:

BAFF has submitted written evidence to the House of Commons Committee which is considering the Armed Forces Bill 2011. Our three-page memorandum is about Representation of Armed Forces Personnel, the Military Covenant and the External Reference Group, Complaints and Redress, Recruitment of Young People, and Human Rights.

Admiral Chris Parry writes in The Daily Telegraph that:

Independent on Sunday: "A serving British soldier in Afghanistan, enraged by last week's news of Army sackings-by email, believes our forces are being taken for granted. He decided to tell The IoS of his feelings":

The Sun reports that "Dozens of soldiers off to the frontline in Afghanistan have been freezing their sperm in case they are killed or maimed." The article continues:

BAFF is quoted in a report by the Sunday Telegraph defence correspondent, about the Army facing "huge cuts" after withdrawal from Afghanistan. The reductions would make the Army the smallest since the reign of George IV, who reigned 1820-1830. Quotes in the article:

According to the Daily Telegraph, thousands of injured personnel could be forced out of the military on medical grounds after the Army's head of personnel ordered commanders to face up to the "harsh reality" of an efficiency drive. But the minister for defence personnel, welfare and veterans has told the newspaper that no severely injured soldier will leave "until it is right for them and the Army, however long that takes". The newspaper reports that:

A report in The Yorkshire Post claims that "domestic violence has soared across vast swathes of rural North Yorkshire with growing numbers of frustrated ex-servicemen who are unable to find employment fuelling the rise." The report continues:

The Belfast Telegraph reports that efforts to improve services for members of the armed forces in Northern Ireland have opened "deep divisions" between unionists and nationalists at the Assembly:

The widow of a REME soldier killed in Afghanistan in 2008 has accused the Government of breaking its promise to British troops.

A Fijian citizen who was seriously injured in Iraq in 2005, and was diagnosed with PTSD after a further tour but reportedly received no treatment for it, is now threatened with deportation from the United Kingdom.

Many commentators have welcomed the outcome of the House of Commons debate on 11 February 2011 about votes for prisoners. Conservative MP Simon Reevell, who voted for the successful motion, made an interesting point in defence of the European Court of Human Rights, without which much-needed improvements to the UK's court martial system would not have taken place.

According to a report in The Daily Mirror. Prime Minister David Cameron today "stands accused by the Labour Party" of breaking "10 crucial election pledges" to Britain's armed forces:

According to a report in The Guardian, the armed forces have been warned that they cannot be spared from the government's spending cuts as pressure mounts on ministers to reconsider changes that could cost families thousands of pounds in pensions and allowances.

(Daily Mail 09 Feb 2011).  David Cameron was accused yesterday of breaking his promise over the military covenant — the state's responsibility to its Armed Forces:

The Daily Mirror claims that the war on terror is taking its toll on the mental state of British troops with a "dramatic rise in the number seeking psychiatric help":

The Ministry of Defence has today announced changes to the allowances paid to Armed Forces personnel for expenses incurred during service.

Twenty years on from the commencement of offensive air operations in the liberation of Kuwait, campaigners say that more than 9,000 British veterans are still suffering from a cocktail of war-related health problems. Sky News reports (16 Jan 2011) that:

The Daily Telegraph's Defence Correspondent writes that there are fears that the 3,500 strong MoD Police force that protects nuclear missiles, special forces bases and vital energy sites could be slashed by as much as a third:

One of Britain's oldest military flying units, 201 Squadron Royal Air Force, will be marching for the last time on Guernsey's Liberation Day, 9 May 2011.

The report of the independent Covenant Task Force led by Professor Hew Strachan was released by the Government on 08 Dec 2010.

Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Moore, Chairman of the respected Forces Pension Society, has told The Times that the report is "incredibly wet and feeble."

The Daily Telegraph's Defence Correspondent writes that the Army is set to lose its ability to fight large scale tanks battles under radical plans being drawn up to slash its fleet of armoured vehicles:

Children and young people's rights groups are calling for a change in the law to end the recruitment of 16 and 17-year-olds into the UK armed forces. Their call comes ahead of the second reading of the Armed Forces Bill, which the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, will present to the House of Commons tomorrow (10 January). More from the Ekklesia think tank:

The Ministry of Defence stands accused of "politicising" the military covenant, under plans in the Armed Forces Bill to scrap an independent review of the Government's progress in honouring the nation's pact with servicemen and women. According to an Independent on Sunday report: