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Commitment Bonuses vs Financial Retention Incentives

Commitment bonuses are being phased out (a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015, when the Armed Forces were around full strength), ceasing by the end of March 2021. However, anyone who joined before 01 April 2016 will still qualify for them. Unlike financial retention incentives (FRI), commitment bonuses have no return… Read More

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Answering Questions on the Future Accommodation Model (FAM) Pilot in Aldershot

Will FAM cost me more? Short Answer: No. Longer Answer: It has been designed so renting costs are broadly the same as for Service family accommodation (SFA). The FAM rental payment increases to cover the cost of living in expensive areas. You can get further information @ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discover-my-benefits. Is FAM just for Families? Short Answer:… Read More

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Combat Engineering is now a Specific Career Stream for Royal Engineers

Sappers will now be able to choose combat engineering as a specific career stream, the Royal Engineers have announced. Previously, members of the corps were trained in the role in addition to their main trade but thanks to a requirement for more specialists they will now be able to focus exclusively on this field, a… Read More

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Can I Claim Council Tax Relief while on Operations?

There is a payment that can be claimed for specific operations and assignments but it is not applicable to exercises. The list of applicable deployments is on Defnet – search “council tax relief” – and they do include NATO operations such as Op Cabrit. To be eligible you must either pay or be counted for… Read More

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CBD Oil: UK Military Personnel & Compulsory Drugs Tests

Soldiers who use the cannabis extract cannabidiol, or CBD as it is known, risk failing their compulsory drugs test. Sales of the substance – which is legal and sold as oil, capsules or vaping liquid – have doubled in the UK over the last two years, with manufacturers claiming it can help anxiety, sleep problems… Read More

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UK Military Spouses: Accompanied Postings & Well-being

Research Paper Title ‘It’s nice to just be you’: The influence of the employment experiences of UK military spouses during accompanied postings on well-being. Background Repeated military relocations (accompanied postings) can have a detrimental effect on employment and well-being among the spouses and partners of military personnel. Methods Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 19… Read More