A third of parents would discourage their children from joining the army according to a new poll, despite the investment of millions of pounds to boost the image of the armed forces.

As Cardiff was officially announced as host for the second annual Armed Forces Day celebrations in 2010, the government was urged to develop a defence policy focused on conflict resolution.

Today is the UK's first Armed Forces Day. It is a thinly veiled attempt to deflect scrutiny of politicians who have made disastrous decisions about war, says Symon Hill. But sentiment is no substitute for accountability.

The UK's first Armed Forces Day has got underway this morning amidst controversy over the agenda behind it. Critics suggest that the government is using the Day to avoid the real issues around its military policies.

The British government needs to make a clean break over the true cost and consequences of its recent military intervention policies, says the think-tank Ekklesia, which is calling for major investment in alternative, non-violent initiatives to tackle escalating global conflicts.

Armed Forces Day will be celebrated in the UK for the first time on 27 June 2009. Savi Hensman asks whether the government's rhetoric is matched by reality.

War and armed violence is taking an alarming toll on civilians in conflict-affected countries across the globe, according to new findings published by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today.

Following the announcement that the Iraq war inquiry will be held in private, it has been suggested today that Armed Forces Day should be an opportunity to think honestly about military intervention and the alternatives.

Following the announcement that the Iraq war inquiry will be held in private, the thinktank Ekklesia has today proposed that Armed Forces Day should be an opportunity to think honestly about military intervention rather than an excuse to divert attention away from the realities of war.