A DEBATE about the Armed Forces gave the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, an opportunity to tell of his personal experience as “the father of a soldier”.
The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill puts forward “for the first time, a genuinely independent champion to hear first-hand from our Armed Forces”, in the words of its proposer, Lord Coaker.
At its Second Reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday of last week, Bishop Usher welcomed the move for what he called “a strong, independent voice to represent the needs of service personnel and their families”. It would, he said, replace “the present system with the independent Service Complaints Ombudsman [in which] families of personnel are currently unable to submit a complaint”.
He went on to speak about the “invaluable work of Armed Forces chaplains, who are embedded with their flock on deployment and often live alongside them”.
On “the third anniversary of the terrible invasion of Ukraine”, he had joined the chaplain of the Irish Guards, alongside Australian and Ukrainian chaplains, for a service with “a significant number of Ukrainians”. It was, he said, “one of the most poignant and moving services that I have attended: Ukrainians and their allies together remembering the immense sacrifices that have already been made.
“This is the bread-and-butter stuff of Armed Forces chaplains. They accompany an officer who has bad news for a family. They listen to a young recruit working out if this career is for them. They quietly let the commanding officer know that the person she is about to see has something going on in their private life. They sit consoling personnel who have just lost a comrade, and need to go back on patrol. They anoint the injured and pray for the dead. They ensure that families have someone to turn to when the clay beneath their feet begins to wobble. . .
“I hope that the Minister agrees with me that the work of chaplains, of all faiths, is a crucial investment in the well-being of His Majesty’s Armed Forces and their families.”
He asked about expectations for “the proposed commissioner to work with chaplains as part of their brief”, and sought clarity on the strategy and definition for work with family members.
Several members picked up on Lord Coaker’s opening remarks about “the current crisis in recruitment, retention, and morale in our Armed Forces, at a time of increasing global instability and heightened tensions”.
For Baroness Carberry (Labour), it was “indeed alarming that only four in ten regular personnel are satisfied with their service life”, and she also saw it as a “crisis in morale”. Viscount Stansgate expressed surprise at “the extent to which morale in the Armed Forces has declined and remained low”.
Referring to veterans, Baroness Hoey (non-affiliated) urged: “Do not forget that, in looking at how we treat our military today, if we do not remember the service and dedication of those veterans who are now, in many cases, seemingly being abandoned, we will not get young people who feel that going into the armed services is worth while.”
As Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, Lord Coaker summed up. He acknowledged how Bishop Usher and Lord Stirrup had “raised the whole issue of cultural change and confidence, and building confidence in the new person is absolutely fundamental. The Rt Revd Prelate mentioned the role of forces chaplains, and I think we would all pay tribute to the work of forces chaplains; we know how important they are. Of course, we would expect the commissioner to work with forces chaplains in the development of their work, but also in understanding the general service welfare issues. Forces chaplains will be an important source of evidence for that.”
Although “veterans are not within the Bill’s scope”, he clarified, “important points about veterans . . . have been put on the record”. Turning more broadly to culture, morale, and living conditions, he said: “It is unacceptable to continue to read about some of these things. We have to find a way of changing this and of making a difference. That is what the vast majority of those in the Armed Forces and those who run them want to achieve.”
The Bill now proceeds to Committee Stage in the Lords, from 19 March.
