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New paper reveals how the lives of defence personnel in the UK can be improved into the 2030s according to a group of Serving Personnel, veterans, academics and industry partners convened by Sodexo

Research by leading food and facilities management services provider, Sodexo, has sought to address growing concerns regarding the Lived Experience of members of the Armed Forces based in the UK. The report, titled ‘The Future Lived Experience: Supporting the UK’s Armed Forces in the 2030s’, is the latest step in Sodexo’s ongoing research and solution development in the defence industry.

The report’s purpose is to support the ongoing work of the Armed Forces in their recruitment and retention drives, ensuring that those living and working on military bases have the best possible Lived Experience. It comes at a time when the combined full-time trained strength of the UK Armed Forces is rapidly decreasing.

Overall figures released by the Ministry of Defence show the combined full-time trained strength of the UK’s Armed Forces decreased by 3,620 personnel to a total of 127,040 between January 2024 and January 20251. Meanwhile, 41% of personnel are now actively looking for a new role outside the Forces2.

As part of Sodexo’s commitment to close collaboration with government, the Armed Forces, and other relevant stakeholders, it hosted the Lived Experience Forum, in late 2024 in London, to discuss the issues impacting the lived experience of personnel living in Ministry of Defence facilities across the UK. 

Participants at Forum included individuals from across defence, industry, academia and the third sector, and transcended rank, age, background, geography and service branch. The day was designed to allow all participants to express their views freely and openly. To that end, serving personnel were asked to not wear uniforms, and rank was not used throughout the day.

Through the Forum and one-to-one interviews with over 100 participants Sodexo’s research for the report also took into account the results of its 2024 Annual Defence Survey which collates feedback from around 6,000 military personnel across tri-Service locations at which it delivers services.

This extensive research enabled Sodexo to draw up a series of ten recommendations to improve the Lived Experience, covering areas of Armed Forces life from accommodation and food to internet access and the provision of childcare.

Paul Anstey, CEO of Sodexo Government UK & Ireland, said: “As a facilities management company with deep links to the Armed Forces community, we see it as our duty to work with partners and colleagues to deliver a Lived Experience standard that a modern military population expects, and of which we can be proud.

“In response to this, and in line with the government’s ‘One Defence’ strategy, we have embarked on this ambitious programme of research as we look ahead to the 2030s and beyond and consider the changing nature of Defence people and their needs.

“This forms part of our wider body of research and solution development in the defence space which clearly shows that the Lived Experience is critical to the happiness and success of our Armed Forces.”

A major theme to emerge from the research is the need for policy change to account for the evolution of modern family life and personal relationships. A key recommendation in the report is the creation of so-called ‘family passports’. These would combine existing data on health needs, the education stage of children, and housing requirements to ensure continuity and a seamless transition between defence sites as families are transferred.

Recommendations also look at the role of food and accommodation as the essentials of a “modern, stable” Lived Experience within the Armed Forces. The report advocates a minimum, universal measure of the quality of the Lived Experience to ensure consistency across the Defence estate.

A further recommendation covers the role of military establishments in local communities and makes clear the need to better engage with those ‘outside the wire’ to improve the image of the Armed Forces and encourage more young people to consider defence careers.

Mark Baker, Chief Operating Officer of Sodexo Defence, added:“The recommendations of this report speak to the candid nature of the conversations we were able to have with people from across the military rank structure and the Civil Service, as well as academics, those in the third sector, and peers in the facilities management industry.

“Combined with our Annual Defence Survey, this valuable insight into the views of a wide range of stakeholders sheds new light on what is expected of the Lived Experience, and how we can best anticipate the needs of our Armed Forces into the 2030s and beyond. Many of our findings will not be new news to those in Armed Forces leadership. However, we feel the detail of this report represents not just the evidence but a constructive discussion of options that will address issues with the Lived Experience.

“At a time when recruitment and retention pose a significant challenge, the Lived Experience of those in our Armed Forces is under more scrutiny than ever. We look forward to working with the Armed Forces and our other partners to further influence this discussion and play our part in creating the Lived Experience that our Armed Forces deserve.”

The ten recommendations from the report are:

  1. Family passports should be created to ensure continuity and a seamless transition between defence sites using existing data from the Joint Personnel Administration System. This should be implemented as part of the new Defence Human Resources System (DefHRS) which will replace JPA in early 2027.

  2. Military establishments should work towards providing more equitable early years provision across bases and allow greater flexibility for working parents.

  3. Encourage military establishments to make active contributions to local communities.  This could be through partnerships with schools and colleges or by nominating at least one community project each year to sponsor with labour or services from the base.

  4. The Ministry of Defence should conduct a review of the risk appetite for allowing partners of unmarried personnel, outside groups and members of the community onto base and streamline the permissions process, leveraging technology where necessary.

  5. The Ministry of Defence should continue its work towards creating a clear minimum, universal service level for all Armed Forces accommodation to demonstrate commitment to improving standards and provision for all, including families and couples.

  6. Where not already in place, base commanders should be encouraged to establish open forums where issues and quick wins affecting the Lived Experience within the Armed Forces can be discussed and actioned with senior base management representation. Representation of women and other minority groups is critical to ensure all demographics serving have a voice. 

  7. Give families greater choice and access to consistent information about new military establishments and accommodation. The present system of Service Families Accommodation should be maintained and more consistently used across military establishments.

  8. Ensure personal Wi-Fi meets the standard and cost that would be expected in civilian life.  A review of the current wireless internet provision available for personal use by service persons should be conducted by the Ministry of Defence if not already underway.

  9. External catering providers should provide greater flexibility, choice and transparency to allow serving personnel to make informed decisions about their food and improve provision for different food cultures, particularly considering Commonwealth Personnel.

  10. Create a forum for more regular engagement between the Ministry of Defence and providers and users of similar Lived Experience services to gauge wider standards within the sector, looking to better align with examples such as higher education institutions.

Sodexo’s report – ‘The Future Lived Experience: Supporting the UK’s Armed Forces in the 2030s’ – can be accessed here: sodexouki.info/FutureLivedExperience

1 www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2025/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-1-january-2025#:~:text=UK%20Service%20Personnel%20are%20the,cent%20of%20UK%20Service%20Personnel).

2  www.gov.uk/government/statistics/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey-2025

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