The external environment into which Service leavers and their families transition after leaving military service is evolving. As part of a broader study on the contemporary process and experiences of military-to-civilian transition in the UK, this report examines the current and future trends shaping the external environment, and what the implications are for Service personnel, their families and support organisations.

Navigating the external environment for military-to-civilian transition

Findings from the Transition Mapping Study 3

Linda Slapakova, Kiran Suman-Chauhan

ResearchPublished Jan 8, 2025

People who serve in the United Kingdom's (UK) Armed Forces and their families are, at some point in their lives, expected to undergo a transition from military to civilian life. The civilian environment into which Service leavers and their families transition is, however, evolving, and may present various challenges as well as opportunities in relation to making a successful transition to civilian life. As part of broader research on the contemporary transition process and experiences thereof, this report examines the nature of the evolving external environment, what trends define it now and may do so in the future, and what the implications are for Service personnel, their families and support organisations.

The external environment was defined as including all factors that may affect a Service leaver's or a family member's transition outcomes and experiences, but which do not relate to either (a) the Service person's characteristics, skills, behaviours or capabilities or (b) the nature of the military environment, military culture and in-Service experiences. We examined the transition environment through the lens of different dimensions of transition – education, employment, housing, social relationships, finance and health – in addition to considering cross-cutting trends such as technological innovation.

Key Findings

  • The external environment for transition is becoming increasingly complex, with Service leavers and families exposed to a greater number of pressures and stress factors. In this complexity, 'polycrisis' is becoming a more prominent feature of many families' transition experiences.
  • However, it is likely that most Service personnel and families will continue to have positive transition experiences, with increased challenges only affecting a minority of transitioning personnel and families.
  • The external environment presents opportunities for better transition experiences and outcomes, particularly in the area of employment. Technological innovation also presents opportunities for improving the delivery of services and care.
  • In contrast, key challenges in the environment relate to the persistent impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, the housing landscape, deepening inequalities (e.g. in education and the labour market), the quality and capacity of the health- and social-care sectors, and the increasing complexity of the information environment.
  • It is essential to understand how developments in the external environment intersect and interact to impact transition outcomes and experiences. It is also vital not to look at the external environment in isolation, and to appreciate how external trends interact with the unique personal circumstances and characteristics of Service leavers and family members.

Recommendations

This research is part of a wider study which will produce recommendations for improving transition-related support for UK Service leavers and their families. At this interim stage, the following recommendations were identified for future research:

  • Better understanding is needed of the relationships between transition determinants, such as how socio-economic background, demographic factors and geographic factors affect transition outcomes distinctly from in-Service experiences.
  • There is a need for clearer understanding of 'successful' and 'unsuccessful' transition outcomes and what indicators could be used to measure these.
  • Future research should examine how Service leavers and families experience the external environment.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

RAND Style Manual

Slapakova, Linda and Kiran Suman-Chauhan, Navigating the external environment for military-to-civilian transition: Findings from the Transition Mapping Study 3, RAND Corporation, RR-A3493-1, 2025. As of April 30, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3493-1.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Slapakova, Linda and Kiran Suman-Chauhan, Navigating the external environment for military-to-civilian transition: Findings from the Transition Mapping Study 3. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3493-1.html.
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