Challenging the militarism of Armed Forces Day
What is Armed Forces Day?
Armed Forces Day in the UK takes place each year on the last Saturday in June. In 2026, it took place on Saturday 27th June. Occasionally events occur on other days, and some areas have an Armed Forces Week or Weekend instead.
Every year, the Armed Forces Day website lists hundreds of parades and ‘fun days’ around the UK. Many of the events listed on the Armed Forces Day website are framed as celebrations and/or include elements aimed at children and families.
Armed Forces Day may also be marked in schools, while the government and parts of the media will use the day to push strongly militaristic messages.
Armed Forces Day and militarism
Armed Forces Day was introduced in 2009, in the wake of widespread public criticism of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was one of several recommendations from the 2008 National Recognition of our Armed Forces report, which sought to increase the visibility of the armed forces and promote support for them.
Since it started, Armed Forces Day has been part of a rise in militarism in everyday life in the UK. In more recent years, we have seen a new wave of militarisation as governments across Europe call for more preparation for war. The UK’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review stated that the military must ‘reconnect with society’ and increase visibility and emphasised the importance of public displays and activities in schools.
Armed Forces Day is an important opportunity to call for far greater recognition of the devastation and chaos that war causes, and for alternatives to war and human security to be prioritised.
Challenging the militarism of Armed Forces Day
We have been raising awareness about Armed Forces Day for many years, and the normalisation of militarism, recruitment activities aimed at children and young people with particular concern about how they are encouraged to handle weapons and explore military vehicles. See all our related work.
We are currently working with the Peace Pledge Union, Quakers in Britain and Campaign Against Arms Trade to raise our concerns.
2026
Armed Forces Day was on Saturday 27th June. The National Armed Forces Day event was organised by Rushmoor Borough Council, which covers the Aldershot and Farnborough areas, where there is a large military and arms company presence. There was a weekend of military displays and stalls, and significant sponsorship by at least six of the world’s largest arms companies. This included BAE Systems and Qinetiq who have each contributed £100,000.
At a meeting in April the council agreed to make up the shortfall of around £250,000 leaving local residents to foot a large part of the bill. The MoD has only granted £50,000 to an event which costs around £680,000. Overall, the MoD has granted £480,000 this year to promote the military at Armed Forces events around the country.
Rushmoor council used Armed Forces Day to promote military and arms industry careers in schools. In February a military helicopter was landed in a junior school field and school children were invited to ‘explore a British Army Jackal military vehicle and a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter as part of the special 100-day event‘. It is completely unethical to use children as part of a marketing strategy for events they cannot fully understand.
It was announced that there would be a schools day on 26th June and a ‘programme of activities will also look to the future by inspiring young people through displays, activities, sports, and family events’. Announcing the sponsorship by Qinetiq, the council suggested that the arms company would also be ‘inspir[ing] future generations particularly at the special day we have planned for schools’ towards careers in the ‘defence, science and technology sector’.
This national event put significant emphasis on activities in schools and at the community events that aim to create an interest in children and teenagers for future enlistment. Schools and the council have a duty of care to ensure young people have full and balanced information in order to make a real choice about their futures – one that is not based on sanitised marketing and the excitement of handling weapons or exploring military vehicles.
Read our press release: Peace campaigners challenge wasteful Armed Forces Day spending as Rushmoor Borough Council and arms companies pour hundreds of thousands into national event
We supported local activists in Aldershot to put over a different message – with a vigil organised with local activists on the need to build a peaceful future.
A peace craft stall that was organised for the community section of the Armed Forces Day arena was cancelled by Rushmoor council the day before the event. Read more: Armed Forces Day pulls plug on peace stall
The national Armed Forces Day event, Aldershot 28 June 2026. Photos: ForcesWatch. Many stands had weapons and military vehicles attracting young children. Arms companies had also orientated much of their messaging and freebies towards young people, with the Team Tempest trailer full of tech-based games and puzzles with nothing to indicate the true nature of this fighter jet programme.
2025
In 2025 there was a three-fold increase in the number of groups challenging the militarism of Armed Forces Day – with demonstrations, vigils, stalls and flyering in over fifty locations. It was unclear if there was a national event for Armed Forces Day in 2025 but the Ministry of Defence spent over £450k on local Armed Forces Day events.
Armed Forces Day press release (28 June 2025) from ForcesWatch and Peace Pledge Union: Record number of protests against Armed Forces Day across the UK
We wrote this article on the controversy around the 2025 York’s Armed Forces Day in the national press after it was reported that military equipment had been ‘banned’ by the local Labour council.
2024
There was no national event for Armed Forces Day – see the response to our Freedom of Information request to the MoD. There had been a drop in the number of local events from 316 in the peak year of 2019 to 189 in 2024, perhaps as councils became less willing to put resources in to it and realise it is a divisive issue in the community.
In previous years, the national event has cost councils hundreds of thousands of pounds to run. In 2024 the Ministry of Defence spent over £420k on local Armed Forces Day events with some councils having to find significant additional funding.
Armed Forces Day press release (29 June 2024) from ForcesWatch and Peace Pledge Union: Declining interest in Armed Forces Day welcomed by peace campaigners
Eleven images of the Armed Forces Day event in Leeds on 29 June 2024. Photos: ForcesWatch.
2023
Our analysis of the national event in Falmouth in 2023: militarism comes to Cornwall
Five images of Youth Day in the Armed Forces Day Military Village in Falmouth, Cornwall, Friday 23 June 2023: groups of primary school children line up to sit in a fighter jet and tank. Some were seen with the anti-tank weapon (on the left side of the table) on their shoulder. Photos: ForcesWatch.
Resources
How to
Read the article Protest works: How local residents persuaded York Council to rethink Armed Forces Day for inspiration on how to challenge Armed Forces Day in your local area.
Postcards
We have teamed up with the Peace Pledge Union to make resources available for raising these and other issues at local Armed Forces Day events. If you would like to order postcards email mail@ppu.org.uk as soon as possible.
Reverse side of postcard
Video, podcasts, articles and other resources
Delving deeper into Armed Forces Day, we examine the incentives behind these events. Where did Armed Forces Day come from and what is it trying to achieve.
More of our articles about Armed Forces Day
Read Peace Pledge Union’s page on What’s wrong with Armed Forces Day
Produced by ForcesWatch and Quaker Peace & Social Witness, this resource pack provides an introduction to current expressions of militarism and ideas for challenging it in local communities.
Our Kids with Guns resource questions whether the armed forces encourage young people to interact with weapons and military vehicles? We explore why this is happening and how can it be challenged?
This booklet produced by Quakers in Britain provides resources and advice for challenging military activities within schools.
See See more: military in society, recruitment, Armed Forces Day
