New 10-year strategy to support the changing needs of Britain’s Armed Forces community
The Royal British Legion (RBL) has announced a new strategy to support Britain’s Armed Forces community through uncertain times. To underpin its commitment to provide lifelong support to those who serve the country, the RBL has set out its vision for the next 10 years which reflects the changing face of today’s Armed Forces community in a changing world.
The new strategy to 2035 will see Britain’s largest military charity adapt to meet the future needs of those it supports over the next decade, and beyond.
Decreasing numbers of Second World War and National Service veterans alongside societal changes, mean that today’s Armed Forces community is smaller, more diverse, and with a younger average age. Over the next 10 years, the RBL expects to support more veterans of a working age.
To ensure the charity remains relevant to the changing needs of the Armed Forces community, and as the world goes through increasingly turbulent times, the strategy will help the RBL evolve and be more agile, ready for an uncertain future.
Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said:
“Our new strategy focuses on the changing needs of the whole Armed Forces community, serving personnel, veterans, families, and the bereaved, to ensure their unique contribution is not forgotten. Our ambition is to bring society together to recognise, remember, and support the Armed Forces community, and we must plan better and be more agile so that we can anticipate their needs.
“Our community is becoming more diverse and current trends suggest that more people will need our help earlier in life, so we remain steadfast in our commitment to be there for them, whilst recognising the need to tailor our services to meet the changing demographics.”
There are around 4.5m people in the UK Armed Forces community which includes around two million veterans, two million more spouse/partners and children of veterans, and 180k currently serving personnel.
Two thirds of veterans are aged under 80, an increasing proportion are now of working age, with 45% aged 65 or under, and veterans aged 18-29 are the only age group likely to increase in the coming decade.
The new strategy acknowledges the publication of the Government’s Strategic Defence Review in June 2025, which referenced a new era of threat and the need to move the UK’s Armed Forces to a warfighting readiness.