I have joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS).
The scheme is intended to help parliamentarians understand the work of the armed forces and around 300 MPs have taken part since it began in 1989. Supported by the Ministry of Defence, the scheme is intended to ensure politicians from all the main parties can gain access to troops at a working level and an understanding of service life.
MPs are attached to a Service of their choice and I have elected to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) course. Over the next year, I will spend 15 to 20 days on the scheme – mainly during parliamentary recess times - including five consecutive days embedded with an RAF unit.
As an induction into the scheme, I attended the United Kingdom’s Defence Academy from 13th-15th September along with a cross-party group of 29 other MPs. The course included a mixture of briefings and presentations from senior military personnel and a Battle of Britain reception which included a Spitfire flypast.
I am delighted to be part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme and thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Defence Academy. Growing up in Lincolnshire which has a lot of RAF bases, I was surrounded by friends and family members who had proudly served in the RAF and it is an honour to have the opportunity to spend time with an RAF unit.
With the RAF’s centenary fast approaching, this is a particularly exciting time to learn about the RAF’s history and gain an understanding of what it is like for troops on the ground today. There are a whole host of RAF100 events coming up over the next year and I look forward to celebrating the RAF’s achievements.
I hope that through my participation in the scheme, I will gain a deeper understanding of the realities of military service and will be able to make more informed contributions to defence debates in the House of Commons.