Weight of responsibility on military chiefs feels heavier this Remembrance, says Chief of the Air Staff

As the King leads the nation on Remembrance Sunday in a two-minute silence to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, our military chiefs will stand alongside him at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in a world that has become increasingly more volatile.

As he stands for those two minutes, I asked the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth if the weight of responsibility feels heavier in this moment because of that volatility. 

"Of course," he replied. 

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"I think all the service chiefs do. Regardless of what's going on in the world, there's a weight of responsibility with being a service chief, force generating your forces together to make sure that we're providing the best defence and the best deterrence for this nation to keep the nation safe."

"It does feel a little bit more febrile, it feels a little closer with everything that we're seeing going on in the world at the moment, with a world that's more volatile and unpredictable," ACM Sir Harv said.

He said we are seeing that volatility play out in Ukraine as the country approaches its fifth year since Russia invaded. 

"The sacrifices that we see happening in Ukraine at this moment, which is just as much about European security as it is about Ukrainian security, really does bring it to life more, and it reminds us, not just those in uniform, but it should be reminding our whole nation that the world can be unpredictable, the importance of having a strong military to deter those that want to do us harm, so that we can continue to live the way that we live within the rules of the world that we've all become very accustomed to."

ACM Sir Harv was speaking after attending the annual parade and Remembrance service for the War Widows Association at the Cenotaph, which takes place the day before Remembrance Sunday. 

He has supported the event many times over the years and this was his first time attending as Chief of the Air Staff. Hundreds gathered on Whitehall as the Association’s wreath, a cross of white chrysanthemums and poppies, was placed at the Cenotaph. 

"The people that you see here stood on Whitehall today, they're the people that have had to pick up the pieces when their loved ones didn't come home and that's a big deal," ACM Sir Harv said. 

"They have made just as much sacrifice and they're living with that for the rest of their lives. So it's important that that's recognised."

"As always, I think Remembrance, we should try to do it every day, but we live such incredibly busy lives and the world is spinning ever quicker than we've seen before," ACM Sir Harv said as he reflected ahead of marking the two-minute silence. 

"But when Remembrance comes around each year, it is just that moment to just take stock, to just take a breath for a moment and just remember those that have put themselves in harms way and made the sacrifice and not come home to their loved ones."

"We always say they've given their all so that we can live in the world that we live in, that we can go about our daily lives and enjoy life, and they gave theirs so that we could have that freedom. 

"I think that's incredibly important, and just taking a moment, wearing the poppy, taking a moment to remember that and to be grateful for it, it's important that we do that. 

"And it's not just those in uniform, that should be the whole of our nation that does that, because it's the whole of our nation that gets to live in the way that they live because of those sacrifices over the many years."

This Remembrance is especially difficult for ACM Sir Harv and his family. 

"This year, unfortunately, I lost my younger brother unexpectedly, he's an ex-servicemen and served. So it has just that extra personal moment for me this year as I personally remember him," he said.

Approximately 10,000 veterans will take part in the Royal British Legion’s March Past the Cenotaph, with over 300 different Armed Forces and civilian organisations represented. People of all ages will be among those marching, from bereaved children and military cadets, through to some of the last surviving veterans of the Second World War. 

There will be a huge range of participants – the youngest person marching is seven years old – whilst veterans aged over 100 years old will also take part. 

Veterans have travelled from far and wide to join the March Past, with some coming from as far as Canada and Australia. 

It’s estimated that around 10,000 members of the public are expected to line Whitehall to watch the March Past and take part in the annual two-minute silence.