The government has published the Armed Forces Bill, legislation that renews the legal basis for the armed forces and introduces reforms designed to improve the welfare of service personnel and their families.
The bill, which is required every five years to maintain the legal framework for military discipline, goes beyond the standard renewal provisions to include several significant reforms. The most notable is the creation of an independent Service Justice Commissioner, who will have the power to investigate complaints about the military justice system and to make binding recommendations for improvement.
The bill also introduces a statutory duty of care for service personnel, a provision that campaigners have been seeking for years. The duty will require the Ministry of Defence to take reasonable steps to protect the physical and mental health of service personnel, and will create a legal framework for holding the department accountable when it fails to do so.
Other provisions include improved housing standards for service families, enhanced protections for whistleblowers who report misconduct, and a new framework for supporting veterans after they leave the armed forces. The bill also updates the military justice system to bring it into closer alignment with the civilian criminal justice system, including provisions on the treatment of sexual offences and domestic abuse.
The Defence Secretary described the bill as the most significant reform of the armed forces' legal framework in a generation. The bill will now proceed through its parliamentary stages, with Royal Assent expected before the end of the year.
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