Demographic Research of the Serving and Former Officer Community

Abstract: This report on the demographics of the serving and former officer community which was commissioned by the Officers’ Association (OA) and funded by Forces in Mind Trust. The project aimed to provide a greater understanding of the size and nature of the current and former officer community in the UK across the Army, Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal Marines over the next 20 years; and to explore the implications in terms of the needs of officers and their dependants. A mixed methods approach was used involving: desk research, interviews with the representatives of key organisations, focus groups with current and former officers and their partners, an online forum and analysis of data to generate projections of future numbers. Key contextual factors include: the ageing of the World War II and National Service generations, changing terms of conditions of current officers, the latest Strategic Defence Review and recent Families Strategy, growing pressures on health and social care along with the ongoing welfare reforms.