On this page you can find our regularly published news articles, providing digestible updates and insights about current research, evidence gaps, topics of importance, and experts across the Armed Forces community sector. We publish three types of news article. News Features provide overviews and synopses of available evidence on topical areas of importance. Research Spotlights provide lay summaries of recently published research and evidence. Meet the Expert articles introduce experts working across the Armed Forces community in research, policy, or practice.
The internet has increasingly become an important tool for conducting participant-based research. Online research has enabled researchers to reach a broader audience and a wider range of participants …
We were pleased to announce the winners of our Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community Awards 2024 at our conference on 13th May 2024. These awards celebrate exceptional researchers working…
On Monday 13th May 2024, we hosted our annual conference, bringing together researchers, clinicians, service providers and government representatives from across the UK and international Armed Forces …
The conflicts in Afghanistan (2001-2021) resulted in hundreds of serious injuries to UK Armed Forces personnel, necessitating their aeromedical evacuation. Due to the nature of their injuries, many in…
New research from Cranfield University, led by Dr Robert Allen, draws on a large sample of medically diagnosed Neurodivergent Veterans (NDVs) to determine how the recruitment processes and Human Resou…
When a uniformed officer appears at the door, time stops. For the families of the fallen, whether through combat, accident, illness, or suicide, that moment marks not only the loss of a loved one, but…
In July 2021, the Atherton Report [1]– officially titled “Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life” – was published by the House of Commons …
Military sport recovery programming has proliferated internationally over the past 20 years in response to increased numbers of military personnel with physical and/or psychological illnesses and inju…
‘It takes a community to understand a community.’ These are the words with which Paul Ledwell, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada, opened the Canadian Institute for Military and Veterans H…
Over the past year, we conducted the Centre’s first piece of primary research, the OUTCOMES study [1], exploring the onward value and perceived benefits of Serving in the military.
Sharing new evide…
The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) Research Centre proudly hosted its Annual Conference on the 8th March 2023 at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London – a day filled with topical debate and…
The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) Research Centre is pleased to announce the results of our Conference Awards 2023. These awards are an important celebration of the exceptional quality and impact of the…
To date, little is known about the prevalence and impact of chronic pain among United Kingdom (UK) ex-Service personnel. Evidence from the United States (US) and Canada, however, indicates that this m…
Recent research1 from the ADVANCE study explored sleep health and found that patterns of symptoms indicative of moderate-severe sleep problems were more likely to be reported by UK personnel who susta…
In recent years, emerging evidence has highlighted that those who leave the Armed Forces prior to completing the minimum term of their contract (i.e., under four years) – known as Early Service Leav…
Eating disorders (EDs), are a serious mental health condition, that can impact anyone regardless of age, background, or circumstances [1]. According to Beat, the nation’s leading eating disorder cha…
Identity is central to how we understand ourselves and our place in the world. Among those who serve in the Armed Forces, this sense of self is often strongly linked to the unique factors of Service l…
Today we release the first in our series of thematic research and policy summaries, with the initial theme of focus being ex-Service personnel and the Justice System.
At the Centre for Evidence for th…
On 28th November 2023, the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community published the first in its series of research and policy summaries. This first set of summaries (available here: Research …
At the end of 2023, 13.6% of the 1.85 million United Kingdom (UK) Armed Forces ex-Service personnel were women. Despite this, only a few more than 50 research papers on military health and well-being …
“I do not hope our country needs to go to war, but as a professional soldier, I want to be there if it does.”
This quote, often repeated in military circles, reflects an important insight emergi…
Alcohol Awareness Week ran from July 3rd to July 7th 2023 in the UK, offering an opportunity to think and talk openly about alcohol harm across different communities. During this week, we shared key e…
Combat Stress recently conducted a review of the published research exploring which psychological treatments have the strongest evidence base for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulti…
We are pleased to announce that the 2023 Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community Conference Awards Nominations are now open for submissions. Our annual awards proudly honour individuals …
The final report from the UK Veterans family study was recently released and provides crucial insight into the lives of ex-Service personnel and their families, and how they are impacted after leaving…
October marked a busy month for the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community, funded by FiMT, with members of the team contributing to several international Armed Forces community events. Ce…
A new research paper by Jan Grimell, Umeå University, Sweden [1], reports on the important findings of a novel 10-year longitudinal interview study focused on understanding the role of military ident…
A new independent report from Robert Gordon University commissioned in 2022 by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) explores the potential of improving ex-Servicewomen's access to support service…
KCMHR 20-year study finds rises in CMD and PTSD in Serving and ex-Serving personnel who served during the conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The findings from the fourth phase of the King’s Centre…
Despite having long been a focus of academic and government interest, readily accessible data on how former UK Armed Forces service personnel are perceived by members of the public has remained limite…
From 1967 to 2000, a policy banned LGBT people from joining or continuing Service in the UK Armed Forces. Anyone suspected of being LGBT could be subjected to invasive investigations and discharge fro…
The past month of February was Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and other orientations (LGBT+) History Month and here at the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community we have been explorin…
Women have a long and proud tradition of serving in the UK Armed Forces (AF). Over the years, opportunities for women in the UK AF have expanded, with all combat roles open to them since 2018. The UK …
Welcome to a special edition of our regular 'Meet the Expert' series, bringing you informative interviews with Armed Forces researchers, policy makers and service providers. In this edition, we inte…
Welcome to a special edition of 'Meet the Expert', our series bringing you informative interviews with Armed Forces researchers, policymakers and service providers. In this edition, we will be featuri…
