What is a veteran
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) defines a veteran as:
- anyone who has served for at least one day in the Armed Forces (regular or reserve)
- merchant mariners who have worked on legally defined military operations
Veterans have already left the Armed Forces.
The Armed Forces community
The defines the Armed Forces community as:
- regular personnel, such as current serving members of the Navy, Army or Air Force
- volunteer and regular reservists, including those in the Navy, Marines, Army or Air Force reserves and merchant navy workers who supported the Armed Forces
- veterans, meaning anyone who has served for at least one day in the Armed Forces
- families of regular personnel, reservists and veterans, including spouses, civil partners, children and sometimes parents or other close family members
- bereaved families of service personnel and veterans, whether the death was linked to their service or not
Support for veterans and their families
The and the were written to show support for people who are in the Armed Forces, or used to be.
They explain that members of the Armed Forces community should:
- be treated fairly
- not be worse off than other people when using public or private services
- get extra help in some cases, such as if they have been injured or a family member died while serving
Page last updated: 24 October 2025