Firm Base Forum

Medal

Terms of Reference - Firm Base Forum

The Firm Base Forum comprises: Hd AFVIT, 1 Star representatives from the 3 Services (currently NRCSNI, Comd 51 (Sc) Bde and AOS), Chairman ‘Veterans Scotland', CEs HRFCA and LRFCA and Secretariat.
The Firm Base Forum will be chaired in annual rotation by the 1 Star representatives of the 3 Services.

The Firm Base Forum may invite attendance from subject matter experts as required by the Agenda.

The Firm Base Forum should meet twice each year in Oct and Apr and more regularly if required.

The remit of the Firm Base Forum is bounded by working practices and scope of the Concordat between the Scottish Ministers and the Secretary of State for Defence. The Firm Base Forum is an advisory group and is not generally responsible for policy making.

The Terms of Reference and Minutes of the Firm Base Forum do not constitute a legally enforceable contract.

The Terms of Reference and Minutes of the Firm Base Forum must be back-briefed to Single Service Secretaries, Single-Service Principal Personnel Officers Veterans Scotland Executive Committee, and the Armed Forces Advocate within 10 working days of each meeting with a draft agenda circulated to the same 10 working days ahead of each meeting.

The Terms of Reference (if amended) and Minutes of the Firm Base Forum must be back-briefed to Scottish Government within 10 working days of each meeting with a draft agenda circulated to the same 10 working days ahead of each meeting.

Any exchange of information will be subject to the constraints set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and by the need to observe any limitations imposed by the laws applying in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Agenda should be bounded by those devolved issues as they relate to the Armed Forces, the Scottish Government and the Veterans Community in Scotland and by the areas of cooperation between the MOD and the Scottish Executive as set out in Section 2 (to include Veterans Affairs) of the Annexe to the Concordat between Scottish Ministers and the Secretary of State for Defence.

Membership Firm Base Forum

  • Army - Commander 51st (Scottish) Brigade
  • RAF - Air Officer Scotland
  • Navy - Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland
  • Terms of Reference - Firm Base Forum Working Group
  • Scottish Government Social inclusion Division
  • Veterans Scotland
  • Lowlands & Highlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association

Terms of reference Firm Base Forum Working Group.

  1. The purpose of the FBFWG is to identify issues concerning the civilian/military/Government interface in Scotland, to enable staff work to be initiated and prepared where necessary - and, in some cases resolved - in order that the main FBF can discuss the issues more knowledgably.
  2. The Firm Base Forum Working Group (FBFWG) comprises: Hd AFVIT, OF4 Representatives of the three Heads of Service (NRCSNI, Comd 51 (Sc) Bde and AOS), Chairman ‘Veterans Scotland', CEs HRFCA and LRFCA, A/Civ Sec 2 Div and Civ Sec 51 (Scottish) Bde (as the permanent Secretariat), DMC Regional Press Officer Scotland and SO2 Protocol 2 Div.
  3. The FBFWG will be chaired in annual rotation by the representatives of the 3 Service Heads to mirror the chairmanship of the main FBF.
  4. The FBFWG may invite attendance from subject matter experts as required by the Agenda.
  5. The FBFWG should meet twice each year, ideally 2 months before the main FBF meetings scheduled for Oct and Apr.
  6. The remit of the FBFWG is bounded by the same constraints, working practices and scope as the main FBF. 
  7. The FBFWG is an advisory group and is not responsible for policy making.
  8. The Minutes of the FBFWG must be back-briefed to Single Service Heads, Veterans Scotland Executive Committee, and the Hd Social Inclusion, Scottish Govt within 10 working days of each meeting with a draft agenda circulated to the same 10 working days ahead of each meeting.