Saturday June 27th 2026
Armed Forces Day flag raising ceremony at Edinburgh's City Chambers on Monday 22 June to mark armed Forces Day
Written by Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Communities across Scotland are today (Saturday 27 June) celebrating Armed Forces Day, joining around 200 events planned across the United Kingdom.
Armed Forces Day is an annual opportunity to thank the entire Armed Forces community – service personnel, reservists, veterans, cadets and military families – for all they do to keep us safe.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Defence announced it would provide up to £500,000 of funding for Armed Forces Day celebrations across the country.
The events – a map of which can be found here – help deliver on the Strategic Defence Review’s call for a whole-of-society approach to defence, strengthening the bonds between society and our Armed Forces.
Almost 10,000 Armed Forces members live and work in Scotland, and the defence sector directly supports nearly 12,000 jobs in the country. Approximately 176,000 veterans live in Scotland.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “I welcome the whole country uniting for Armed Forces Day to show our support for currently serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets. Scotland plays such a vital role in the UK’s defence and I am appreciative, and deeply proud of, our service personnel. Their professionalism and bravery to keep us and our allies safe are rightly respected worldwide.
“The UK Government is renewing the country’s contract with our military personnel through initiatives such as a new housing strategy which will make homes fit for heroes, delivering the biggest pay rise for personnel in 20 years and putting the Armed Forces Covenant into law. National security is a top priority for the UK Government and we will always stand up for our Armed Forces.”
Armed Forces Day events are hosted every year by local authorities, veterans’ organisations, schools, places of worship, charities and community groups.
The UK Government is determined to ensure British people can take pride in their communities and enjoy safe and vibrant high streets, with community events like Armed Forces Day an important part of British life.
The Government has also increased defence spending to both support local jobs and keep families safe in an uncertain world.
Scotland is home to the UK’s military shipbuilding industry in Rosyth and the continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, which is based at HM Naval Base Clyde.
RAF Lossiemouth operates the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert, which scrambles Typhoon fast jets to monitor suspicious aircraft in the skies above the UK.
Find out more here: www.armedforcesday.org.uk
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