Breaking News
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David Lloyd Leisure Clubs: Armed Forces Deal
Battle of the Atlantic 70th Anniversary
To mark the 70th anniversary of this historic event, the Royal Navy, supported by
Your Feedback Wanted: Armed Forces Pay Review Body – Portsmouth
Royal Marine: “My Wife Definitely has the Harder Job”
Click here to watch a short video on the BBC website, in which Colour Sgt Dominic Conway from 40 Commando, and his wife Rebecca, share their experiences of what it's like being apart for months at a time.
The Defence Secretary has announced that the pattern of Brigade rotations for Op HERRICK will change from October. As a result, some Service personnel will be required to serve extended tours in Afghanistan, of up to 8 and potentially 9 months. A new HERRICK Drawdown Allowance is being introduced for affected personnel. Click here for details.
Share? MOD Guidance on using Social Media
Listening to YOU: Service Families Accommodation
Improvements to Accommodation Make for Bonnie Homes on the Clyde
Service Families Accommodation: Vouchers for Missed Maintenance Appointments
Offers to Improve Energy Efficiency: Such as the Green Deal Various companies advertise offers to improve the energy efficiency of your home, including Government initiatives such as the Green Deal. However, before customers in Service Family Accommodation are tempted to take advantage of these offers they should very carefully read the terms and conditions of the offer so they understand their liability and any liability placed on the property. Click here for further details.
Uniform to Work Day: 26 June
Hampshire County Council is inviting residents to sign up to the new Switch Hampshire energy switching scheme.
 Your Award Winning Team We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the Chief of Naval Personnel & Training and Second Sea Lord’s Commendation. This prestigious award acknowledges our achievements and our commitment to support families. We are over the moon and hope that the endorsement will strengthen our position as we continue to take families’ concerns forward to policy makers.
Photo (CROWN COPYRIGHT): Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral David Steel CBE, and Naval Secretary, Rear Admiral Woodcock OBE, with recipients of their Commendations pose on the steps of Admiralty House after the awards ceremony.
New Mental Health Support App for Service Personnel A new iPhone app has been launched to provide Armed Forces personnel with support and information. The app, called Joining Forces, is available to personnel all over the world and provides tailored information on 11 mental health problems including anxiety, post-traumatic stress and depression, as well as highlighting where to access help. Click here for further details.
Service Families Accommodation (SFA): 2nd Offers From 1 May 2013, in the event of the 1st offer of SFA being rejected for personal reasons, the Housing Allocations Service Centre (HASC) will now make a 2nd offer with 15 working days. Previous policy did not establish a deadline to provide a second offer.
Launch of the Royal Navy People Portal on the Defence Intranet
The Proposed New Childcare Voucher Scheme and How it May Affect You The Government is proposing a new childcare voucher scheme. It is receiving a lot of positive press but if only one parent is working, you will not qualify. Our counterparts in the RAF Families Federation have written a helpful article that compares the current scheme with the proposed new scheme. Click here for details.
The Partner Employment Project A two year project on partner employment (married/unmarried) has launched. Click here for details.
SSAFA Forces Help Changes Its Name
The British Forces Post Office Gets ’Appy Have you ever wondered where your letter or parcel was? The BFPO Track & Trace Smartphone App could provide the answer. Click here for details.
First Sea Lord’s Intent Click here to read a message from the new First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas KCB DSC FRAeS ADC. The message outlines his vision for the Naval Service in the future as it develops to achieve its strategic aims.
Local Assistance for those in Service Families Accommodation The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and MODern Housing Solutions (MHS) recognise the need to provide a means for Service families to talk face-to-face with DIO and MHS staff locally about their Service Families Accommodation issues. Following successful trials, Customer Assistance Points are being established in key locations around the country. Click here for details.
The New Operating Model for Defence
Joint Forces Command Becomes Fully Operational
 NFF Awarded Funding from LIBOR Fines
The NFF is delighted to announce that we have been awarded £343,500 by the Government, from the fines levied on banks for attempting to manipulate the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) benchmark. Several other very worthwhile causes and charities that support the Armed Forces community have been allocated funding from the bank fines. Click here to read the full article on the HM Treasury website.
Further applications to the LIBOR Fund in support of the Armed Forces are invited. Click here for details. Publication of the Service Complaints Commissioner’s Fifth Annual Report The fifth annual report by the independent Service Complaints Commissioner on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Service complaints process has been published (21 March 2013). Click here for details.
Defence Select Committee Education Surveys The NFF realised that a number of people were unaware of the Education Surveys organised by the National Audit Office on behalf of the Defence Select Committee. We have gathered up some really good overseas input, and submitted it directly to the Committee, which means that they have been able to have their say. It will be useful for the Committee to have the perspective of a wider range of people; thank you for taking the time to send in your comments.
UPDATED: Budget 2013: Armed Forces to Receive 1.5% Pay RiseThe Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced in his Budget speech that Service personnel are to be exempt from the 1% cap on public sector pay, in recognition of what they do.
Click here to read a message from Second Sea Lord on the subject.
Armed Forces Pay Award 2013 The 2013 report of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body, which makes recommendations on the pay and charges of 1-Star officers and below, has been published (14 March 2013). The Government has accepted the recommendations in full, except for the recommendation on X-Factor where consideration is being deferred. Personnel will see the impacts of the award, where relevant, in their April 2013 pay statements. Click here to see the full list of recommendations.
Royal Navy Launches First Women's Network
The Veterans' Transition Review
The Veterans' Transition Review, led by Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, was established by the Government in September 2012 to look at the advice and support available to personnel returning to civilian life from the Armed Forces. The Review will examine all aspects of transition, consulting Government Departments, charities, industry and the Services themselves. Veterans Medals: The Arctic Star & Bomber Command Clasp The Prime Minister announced in December 2012 that the Arctic Star and the Bomber Command Clasp awards will be made in recognition of the great bravery of those who contributed to two very significant campaigns of World War Two. All the details have now been confirmed for the awards and the application process has opened. Click here for details.
Mali: UK Involvement
For some time now, the UK has been deeply concerned about the situation in Mali and the threat that violent extremist groups in the north of the country pose to the citizens of Mali, regional stability and international security. Click here to find out about the UKs involvement.
Seriously Injured Veterans to get Financial Support for Life
From April 2013, a new benefit will mean that seriously injured Armed Forces veterans will be guaranteed financial support of around £7,000 a year for life. Click here for details. MPs Publish Report Looking at Support for Armed Forces Veterans in Wales
In a report published in February 2013 the Commons Welsh Affairs Committee says that public bodies need to do more to support Armed Forces veterans in Wales, particularly in the key areas of housing and health where there are currently problems with provision. Click for details. Enhancing Personal, Family and Community Support Services Click here to read a message from Second Sea Lord on upcoming improvements to personal, family and community support services.
Following an extensive review of the current system, the Royal Navy has decided that the services provided could be enhanced. As a result, over the next 12 months the Royal Navy will be implementing some big changes in the way it supports individual Service personnel, their families and the wider Naval Service community. Second Sea Lord comments that “the already close links with the Naval Families Federation (NFF) will be strengthened to ensure that family matters are given due prominence within the Naval Service".
International Defence Engagement Strategy
The Government’s International Defence Engagement Strategy (IDES) has been published (7 February 2013). It sets out how all Defence activity short of combat operations will be prioritised to focus engagement efforts on those countries which are most important to our national interests, and where we are most likely to achieve the desired effect. Personnel can read the Defence Internal Brief 2013DIB/09 on the Defence Intranet for further details.
Voting: Are you Registered? Members of the Armed Forces could lose their chance to vote in local elections this year unless they act now. “We are concerned that every year, thousands of service personnel miss out because they have not registered for a vote in time, or because they don’t realise that they need to update their address details when they move house” says Samantha Mills, the Electoral Commission’s Head of Campaigns. Click here for details.
MOD Publishes Summary of its Equipment Plan
Click here to read the MOD Equipment Plan. Click here to read the NAO Report on the Plan. Their report states that MOD has taken significant positive steps to deal with the previous funding gap and to lay the foundations for stability going forward. For further information personnel can see the Defence Internal Brief 2013DIB/07 on the Defence Intranet.
TV License Guidance
Click here for information specific to Service personnel and their families about TV licenses. It explains the circumstances that require a license and what the license covers. It looks at those in MOD accommodation, their own homes, and those overseas.
First Sea Lord's Strategic Priorities: 2013 Click here to read a message from the First Sea Lord on the Royal Navy's strategic priorities for 2013.
New Operating Model: ‘How Defence Works’
The need for a new Operating Model was identified by Lord Levene in 2011’s Defence Reform Review. ‘How Defence Works’ explains how the most fundamental re-organisation of Defence since the 1980’s will deliver a model which, as envisaged by Lord Levene, “ensures that the whole is more than the sum of its parts and which has affordability at its core”. Click here for further details.
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Op HERRICK: Extended Tours
