The Armed Forces Covenant sets out the relationship between the nation, the government and the Armed Forces.

It recognises that the whole nation has a moral obligation to members of the Armed Forces and their families, and it establishes how they should expect to be treated. It considers the Armed Forces community to include regular personnel, reservists, veterans, families of these and the bereaved. 

The Armed Forces community includes:

• regular personnel – individuals currently serving as members of the Naval Service (including Royal Navy and Royal Marines)
• Army or Royal Air Force Reservists 
• Volunteer Reservists, who form the Royal Navy Reserve 
• Royal Marine Reserve 
• Territorial Army and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force
• regular reservists who comprise the Royal Fleet Reserve, Army Reserve and Royal Air Force Reserve veterans 
• those who have served for at least a day in the HM Armed Forces, whether as a regular or a reservist 
• families of regular personnel, reservists and veterans – the immediate family of those within the above categories 
• bereaved – the immediate family of service personnel and veterans who have died whether or not that death has any connection with the service

The Armed Forces Covenant is as defined by the Ministry of Defence as "a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly and are not put at a disadvantage”. This requires us and our key partner organisations to have positive policies and practices in place that support our Armed Forces community ensuring delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant.