The United Kingdom remains as one of the oldest monarchies in the world, with a strong democratic political foundation. The armed forces namely Army, Navy and Air force have played very crucial roles in the defence and development of the country. These institutions are purely non-political entities and Her Majesty the Queen is the Supreme Commander of the Armed forces. Historically the British armed forces had outstanding roles in the expansion and consolidation of the Empire. During the Second World War British armed forces made positive contributions for the success of the Allied forces. After the war these forces are protecting the country from external and internal enemies. British soldiers also serve the United Nations forces which are deputed for peace keeping in many countries affected by civil wars.

Generally people are proud to be associated with the defence forces. Importance given to the personnel in the armed forces is reflected in the various welfare measures established by both the state and civil society. Special considerations are given to the employment of ex-service personnel. The serving and retired defense personnel receive preferential treatments when the state initiate welfare programmes. The forces on their part have earned universal recognition as an effective and reliable group who rendered invaluable services during war and peace. This is more relevant during natural disasters like storms, heavy snowfalls, cyclones and landslides. In the recent past defence forces are playing strategic roles in the anti-terrorism activities.

The British armed forces have 194,440 regular troops and 39420 volunteers according to reliable estimates. In addition to the above there are 191,300 regular reserves also. It is the second largest force in the European Union. As for Navy and Air force they are the second largest among the European Union countries. The services offered by the British forces to the NATO initiatives in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan are remarkable. Every year the country recruits about 200,000 regular soldiers to serve in the three arms. Successive governments in the United Kingdom have taken special care to support the defence forces. As already mentioned the defense personnel are offered good remuneration and retirement benefits. Efforts are made to rehabilitate ex-service personnel as a measure of social security. The present coalition Government have recently introduced the Armed Forces Bill in the parliament. Members of the Parliament irrespective of their party affiliations have expressed strong views against dilution of welfare measures to the armed forces in the process of economic reforms.

One of the things that has continually puzzled VDB is the great enthusiasm Washington Republicans — primarily Southern Conservatives — show for Vermont’s Martha Rainville.

martha, salutingAfter all, Rainville has gone to great lengths to avoid the word “Republican” in her advertising; she’s even made small, tentative noises about Congressional reform.

And yet the Conservatives, and the religious enthusiasts, never seem to take offense. Quite the contrary: Party money has flowed generously, and it now exceeds the amount Rainville raised with her own two independent hands.

Granted, Martha is a former Adjutant General, with a record of saluting smartly on The War. And Martha is a female former AG, which must have seemed a heaven-sent two-fer to the boys in DC — here was an excellent tool to prize open Vermont’s now solidly Left-leaning Congressional delegation.

But even so, as Mark Shepard was wont to point out, Rainville gets downright squishy on some of the key Conservative issues. Stem-cell research, to take one at random, or her stance on the Waxman legislation. Which might otherwise lead you to expect that the Conservatives who control the GOP would find Martha something of a mixed bag.

.Reference resource: Click Here.

Well we can discuss academic results, extra-curricula activities, leadership, community involvement, future study and careers – and that’s just for starters. Military schools place a huge emphasis on academic excellence. Small class sizes, extra study periods, experienced and talented teachers and constant monitoring and reports to parents almost guarantee a splendid academic outcome. Those who are falling behind are spotted quickly and given whatever extra tuition is required. Military schools offer first class facilities for such programs as sport, outdoor education and the performing arts. Students who have a passion in one or more of these areas have ample time and resources at their disposal.

If your teen has any ability in the leadership field, it will be brought to the fore during their time in a military school. This is what they do. The discipline routines and the drills are of great benefit to all students. The ranking of staff members and the requirements of simple daily living all build self-esteem within the students and gives everyone a chance to lead. Military schools place a high emphasis on civic pride, national duty and community involvement. Students are encouraged to attend church and community groups during weekends. Students are encouraged to help others in the local community thus developing a spirit of friendship and charitable deeds. These attitudes help make each student a better person and will go with them throughout their adult years as well.

Once it was that most military school students went on to take a career in the military. This is no longer the case although many military school graduates do indeed make a career for themselves in the military. And the recruitment officers in the military still look favorably on any young person who has graduated from a military school. Young people in their teens need guidance and encouragement. It is these very characteristics which are prominent in every military school. They do not exist to punish students but to inspire and guide them Students are taught to be independent, to learn how to make decisions and the right ones at that. Parents want their kids to be kept out of harm’s way, to develop as excellent students and as worthwhile citizens. Those qualities are the chief goal of every military school.

A general notion is that Military boarding schools act as correctional facilities for troubled and difficult teens. However, contrary to this belief, it’s a unique opportunity for parents and children to seek discipline and success in their life. As the Public school system today is not well equipped to handle troubled teens, parents turn to military schools discipline and educate their troubled teenagers. Apart from education, military schools inculcate two important characteristics, structure and discipline, which explains their popularity.

As compared to public schools, teenagers cannot indulge in consumption of narcotics, fights or sexual encounters. With a normal day starting at 6AM, the students are expected to wake up early, complete their chores, participate in physical drills and follow all the norms of the institution. Even simple entertainment like getting out on weekends or watching a movie has to be fairly earned by indulging in good behavior and adherence to rules.

These schools effectively train the students to come out of their shell of confusion and decide what they want to do with their life. They make them self reliant and strong. It also imbibes in them qualities of leadership, determination and a winning attitude that makes them stand apart from conventional students. As compared to conventional schools, military schools compel their students to follow the rules and complete their assignments meticulously. Hence, the students have no scope of incomplete assignments and it becomes a habit not to neglect any academic assignments.

Apart from these, they have a positive peer atmosphere and hence they seldom stray away. It becomes more of an issue of honor than just simple code of conduct. Though such military school programs are viewed to be highly traditional, but they have a strict academic program that sets it apart from the regular program. There is also a great emphasis on the physical fitness of the youngster so that they don’t turn out to be another bookworm.

Lastly, with such a structured environment in place, it greatly helps under-motivated, disturbed and defiant youth to seek the purpose of their life. When at last such students compete in the world with other students, they tend to stand out and defy all odds and surprise their competitors with their talent, structured approach to problems and greater sense of responsibility. With so many, Military schools benefits still act as a boon for parents of troubled and defiant youth who find solace in drugs and destruction.

Military schools offer first class facilities for such programs as sport, outdoor education and the performing arts. Students who have a passion in one or more of these areas have ample time and resources at their disposal.

If your teen has any ability in the leadership field, it will be brought to the fore during their time in a military school. This is what they do. The discipline routines and the drills are of great benefit to all students. The ranking of staff members and the requirements of simple daily living all build self-esteem within the students and gives everyone a chance to lead.

Military schools place a high emphasis on civic pride, national duty and community involvement. Students are encouraged to attend church and community groups during weekends. Students are encouraged to help others in the local community thus developing a spirit of friendship and charitable deeds. These attitudes help make each student a better person and will go with them throughout their adult years as well.

Once it was that most military school students went on to take a career in the military. This is no longer the case although many military school graduates do indeed make a career for themselves in the military. And the recruitment officers in the military still look favorably on any young person who has graduated from a military school.

Young people in their teens need guidance and encouragement. It is these very characteristics which are prominent in every military school. They do not exist to punish students but to inspire and guide them Students are taught to be independent, to learn how to make decisions and the right ones at that. Parents want their kids to be kept out of harm’s way, to develop as excellent students and as worthwhile citizens. Those qualities are the chief goal of every military school.

If you are a non-union, unskilled, blue collar worker who dropped out of high school, but has good native intelligence (passes a very challenging aptitude test) and a good work ethic, the military pay and benefits are better than you can get on the outside. If you are a highly educated, technically skilled worker with some experience, the military doesn’t even come close to paying what you are worth on the outside. Most people do not fall in either extreme. There are also many other reasons to serve besides pay and benefits. And pay and benefits cannot make-up for the potential of major injury or loss of life, if you do not wish to give up some of your freedoms and offer your life for your country.

Every year the Army Times publishes a putative pay and benefits comparison for various jobs in the military, and their assumed civilian job equivalent. This might be a good article to look at for some insight to your question. Benefits are assumed at a high level, even if the military member never uses that benefit. Thus I am assumed to have a benefit advantage of being able to use military health care, the commissary, and the Post Exchange, to the tune of about $10,000 in savings a year (which the Army Times would add to my annual salary to inflate that number). However, I live too far away from a post to take advantage of these “benefits.” The cost of gas to get to post would far outweigh any reduced price savings I would get. So my actual pay and benefits is lower than the “typical” pay an benefits the Army Times claims. When I lived in DC my salary did not go nearly as far as it does when I live in the middle of nowhere Alabama. A young PFC working in the Pentagon will find it hard to make ends meet, but the civilian secretary doing a similar job, with locality pay, will make far more. That same PFC at Fort Benning Georgia can live very well. It is probably better than the local business secretaries.

In military school, the physical activities are given special emphasis. In addition to the academics, the students are kept busy in different kind of physical activities and sports. Although you can find a few co-educational military schools across the country, it is the single-sex schools that are more in demand and as the records show, these are the schools that display a better all round performance.

However, the military schools do not admit the unwilling teenagers. The students who are academically too poor or have gross behavioral disorder also do not have any place in the military schools. The most reputed military schools have their own admission procedures which are rather tough to crack. In case of any non compliance of rules, the student is expelled from the school with immediate effect. So a military school is not a mere coercive tool for inducing proper behavior in a troubled teen, a military school is in fact the most rewarding experience for a young person.

The federal government does not ask high school and college students to join the armed forces per se; they provide the legislation and the tools for the recruiters to do it. Such legislation is far from new; in 1980, in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran hostage crisis, President Jimmy Carter received approval from Congress to reinstate mandatory registration for military service for males 18 through 25. I was a sophomore in college at the time. I registered as required; however, military recruiters never contacted me, nor was I asked to serve. I was perfectly happy to comply with that policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Military recruiters were welcome on campus while I was in high school during the late 1970′s. They did the same as college admissions officers. They set up shop in the guidance office for the better part of a day; gym teachers were more than willing to excuse students from class to talk to them. I was unaware of any complaints; this seemed like a symbiotic relationship for students, teachers, and recruiters too. However, the country was not at war in 1978.

Fundamentally the military are looking a candidate who is committed. Those who begin looking into military jobs just as they are leaving university are usually overlooked. Apparently doing this does not show the qualities of initiative, influence or ambition needed for jobs in the military. They want someone who has not just drifted through the rigours of university life but someone who has strived throughout their education and made the most of the opportunities offered to them.

Jobs within the military are in no doubt challenging, physically, mentally and emotionally. Recruiters want candidates that will not be daunted by the challenging nature of military work. It is precisely the desire to tackle the challenge head on that the recruiters are looking for. Energetic candidates with a great deal of determination should seriously consider jobs within the military sphere.

West Point exists to educate and train Cadets who are commissioned as Officers in the US Army upon Graduation. The commitment is for a total of 8 years, 5 of which are on active duty and 3 in the Reserves if you choose not to continue on active duty. A very few graduates may select commissioning in other services, primarily where one of their parents has served a career in another service. The primary options for Army service are the choice of branch of service. You choose that at the beginning of your senior year. What are your army career options? After graduating from West Point, you will be commissioned in one of several Army branches. You may want a combat arms branch such as Infantry, Field Artillery, Armor, Air Defense Artillery, Aviation or Combat Engineers. You also may choose a combat support branch such as Signal, Military Police, Chemical or Military Intelligence.

You may also want to choose one of the combat service support branches such as Ordnance, Quartermaster, Transportation, Adjutant General or Finance. Opportunities are also available for the Medical Service Corps or the Judge Advocate General Corps later in your service career. You will advance to positions of greater responsibility in each branch based on your abilities. West Point is looking for well rounded young men and women who want to serve as commissioned officers in the US Army. By well rounded I mean good students, good athletes, and good leaders. The focus is on service in the Army rather than on the college education part.