Defence news today includes continued coverage of the Ministry of Defence’s proposals for better compensation for Armed Forces personnel, and looks ahead to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s upcoming speech in which he is expected to urge all NATO members to meet the 2% of GDP spending target.
Better Compensation
The Guardian and The Herald report that the Ministry of Defence has launched a consultation on proposals to pay compensation to soldiers or their families for injury or death in combat, without needing to go to court.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:
Our Armed Forces put their lives on the line to keep us safe. This new scheme will mean more generous payments to anyone injured - or the families of those who are killed - in combat. By making these changes we will put more money into compensation and remove the stress of lengthy legal action.
Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Stuart Peach said:
Clarifying combat immunity and offering better compensation will remove the need for legal action and the courts will no longer have to second guess military decisions. This will allow our Armed Forces to do their job knowing they, or their families, won’t have to go to court for compensation in the case of injury or death in combat.
I strongly encourage personnel to contribute to the consultation to have their views considered in the development of the scheme.
Read the full story here.
