For men and women willing to accept a job that offers risk as well as potential, the opportunities for a career in the Armed Forces have never been greater and have probably never offered so much variety.

Many of those who join the Royal Navy, Army or RAF today can expect to end up in a frontline role at some stage, principally because Afghanistan, in particular, is a long-term operation requiring a constant flow of trained and highly skilled personnel. It is a commitment that will keep all three Armed Forces fully occupied for many years.

The role of the military has changed beyond all recognition in recent years, especially since the end of the Cold War and the completion of Operation Banner, the long-running counter-insurgency campaign in Northern Ireland. Today, Britain’s Armed Forces are structured for expeditionary warfare and, because of Iraq and Afghanistan, the services are now filled with thousands of people with combat experience. It can be tough, dangerous work but life changing and character building.

The Forces have to compete for the best graduates and school-leavers with civilian employers, who can often offer higher salaries and an easier life. It takes a particular kind of individual to consider the option of a military career. The idea is attractive to young men and women who want something different out of life.

While nobody joins the Forces to make a fortune, salaries, bonuses and allowances have increased significantly in recent years, mainly because all three Services suffer from manpower shortages, especially in certain key areas of expertise, and this is where the greatest opportunities exist.

Although the focus of public interest may be on the exploits and gallantry of the soldiers and Royal Marines fighting the Taleban in southern Afghanistan, many important tasks are undertaken by men and women with skilled trades and professions — medics, communications experts, logistics personnel and intelligence and surveillance specialists.

They gain a wide range of skills while undertaking worthwhile jobs during their military careers and end up with impressive CVs when seeking employment in the civilian world.

While Britain remains in Iraq and Afghanistan, members of the Armed Forces will continue to suffer long absences from home and family. Many have completed two or three tours, and the relentless operational pressures are bound to take their toll. The planned drawdown of troops in Iraq next year should make a significant difference.

The intensity of the simultaneous missions in Iraq and Afghanistan has also generated new opportunities in the defence industry, which has been called upon to produce new weapons and armoured vehicles at short notice to counter the changing threats posed by ever-more sophisticated roadside bombs and landmines. Defence companies in the private sector have had to develop better-armoured vehicles to protect British troops

Civilian defence specialists have to follow up the delivery of new equipment from their companies by going out to the theatre of operations themselves to act as advisers and instructors. This is a growth industry and, despite the potential dangers, there is never a shortage of volunteers.

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