Aspire Defence Limited
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We Aspire Defence Limited will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 Aspire Defence Limited recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
We also pledge the following:

Promoting the Armed Forces: o We will publish our Armed Forces Covenant on our website and in our literature. o Support Military Units on the Project Allenby Connaught Estate (both in time and financial effort) where about 1/3rd of the Regular Army is based - expressed through our Corporate Mission Statement - ‘Making Soldiers’ Lives Better’. o Advertising our support for the Military with our strap line - ‘Serving the Best’. o Engage with the Military through our Corporate Values. o Sponsor military sports (in 2022 this was Royal Engineer cricket; Royal Signals football, Army equestrian; Army netball; and REME telemark skiing). o Facilitate and sponsor sports events to build and maintain strong relationships with Military Units. o Promote the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and our support for the Armed Forces Community to our staff, supply chains and the wider public. Veterans: o Offer guaranteed interviews to Veterans seeking employment where their career record aligns with role offered and offer constructive feedback to Veteran applicants who are suc-cessful in their application. o Support the employment of wounded or injured ex-service personnel. Service Spouses & Partners: o Supporting the employment of Service spouses and partners by welcoming applications from spouses/partners who meet the essential criteria in the job specifications. o Support the employment of Service spouses, partners and dependants, by offering short-notice leave to those whose partners are sent on deployment, and will consider flexible working arrangements during short or long term deployments. Reserves: o Supporting our employees who are already members of the Reserve Force. o We will support Reservists by offering them up to 5 additional days of annual leave in order to carry out their duties. Cadet Force Adult Volunteers: o Supporting our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations. o Recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce. o Offer insight days to older Cadets looking for apprenticeships and further education op-portunities. o We will support Cadet Force Adult Volunteers by offering them up to 5 additional days of annual leave in order to carry out their duties. National Events: o Supporting Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities. Armed Forces Charities: o Support and promote Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities, providing charitable support and attendance at events and activities. Commercial Support: o Sponsor military sports (in 2022 this was Royal Engineer cricket; Royal Signals football, Army equestrian; Army netball; and REME telemark skiing). Any additional commitments the company wishes to make: o We will provide briefings and updates, for our staff, on the Armed Forces, to develop our understanding of our local Armed Forces. o We will appoint an Armed Forces champion within your organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces Community. o We will support and promote the wellbeing of service children, recognising the particular experiences and challenges they may face.

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.