Introduction

This chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the genesis of the Military Covenant, its migration from Army doctrine and its entrenchment in the civilian sphere, as well as assessing its impact on Britain's civil military relationship. Today, the Military Covenant has become the prism through which all welfare or people's issues relating to Britain's Armed Forces community serving personnel, their families and veterans are seen and the context in which those issues are debated. It focuses on the development of the Moral Component of Army doctrine, particularly in the context of the Army's assertion of its right and need to be different from civilian society. The book explores trust-based relational or psychological agreements, comparing them with contracts that have a legal basis. Until recently, analysis in Britain can only follow in the American academic slipstream. However, the evolving Military Covenant provides a uniquely British perspective.