A growing disconnect between soldier and civvy may be down to the service having less profile than in the days of operations in Afghanistan, troops believe.
They say the absence of personnel from TV screens and online means youngsters are less aware of the military or its role than they were in the past.
In addition, they say an increasing number of social media influencers are touting aspirational lifestyles across their channels and people are turning to them as role models.
The claims come as the latest armed forces continuous attitude survey shows that army personnel are feeling less and less appreciated by wider society.
Just over a quarter of troops polled for the study believed their work was valued by civvies – taking a further hit from 32 per cent in last year’s questionnaire.
LSgt Ashley Ryan (IG) – the senior NCO in the army’s engagement team – believes visibility and changing lifestyles are a factor.
The 36-year-old Aldershot-based soldier – who is also a keen video gamer and member of the service esports community – told this magazine: “Back in the days when I joined, in the 2000s, troops were never off the TV because of our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Obviously the world is different now, but new technology also means that social media influencers are rivalling military personnel as role models.”
Reservist Lt Victoria Carr (Int Corps), senior research fellow at the Sandhurst-based Centre for Army Leadership, also believed that the declining media profile of the military may have contributed to the distance opening up between soldier and civvy.
While there were occasional TV series on the forces, they did not show many “positive aspects in the lived experience of soldiers”, the academic added.
