Exclusive: Ex-Army chief Gen Sir Patrick Sanders backs new Afghan War association

One-hundred-and-fifty-thousand people in the UK will become automatic members of a new war association when it launches in December. 

The UK Afghanistan Veterans Community, co-founded by a current serving lieutenant colonel and a recently retired former staff sergeant, will be the largest military association in the UK.

Backed by senior officials including General Sir Patrick Sanders, the former Chief of the General Staff, the organisation is calling on Afghan veterans to contribute to a survey which they say will help shape the UK's understanding of its membership. 

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Combat operations in Afghanistan ended a decade ago.

Now, as the 10th anniversary of that moment approaches, two veterans of the conflict have joined forces to launch what will be the first major war association to be formed since the Gulf War.

The two men, Royal Signals Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Mallett and Invictus Games athlete Jonny Ball, have worked with charities including RBL and international marketing agency M&C Saatchi World Services to get the organisation off the ground. 

Speaking to Forces News, Col Mallett said the association would "seek to establish a charitable community for the 150,000 UK Afghan veterans who served in Afghanistan over the course of the 20-year campaign".

He added: "The fact we have two Chelsea Pensioners that are Afghan veterans is signalling quite clearly that this next generation of veterans is coming through."

And Mr Ball, who was until recently a staff sergeant in the Intelligence Corps, also highlighted the demographic of the Afghan veteran population.

He pointed out that there were also 21-year-olds who served on Op Pitting – the UK evacuation of Kabul in 2021 – young adults who are already able to say they are veterans of this significant chapter of UK military history.

Mr Ball told BFBS Forces News: "There are a bit of a mix of narratives in the community. It ranges from a sense of shame in the way in which we withdrew – completely out of the control of the Afghan veterans themselves – to a sense of pride in the amazing work we did out there during our time.

"I, for one, am very proud of rebuilding a school in Afghanistan and furthering the opportunities and life chances of ordinary Afghan children."

The association is unique in terms of its size, the demographic of its members and the fact that so many of those who qualify for membership are still serving in the Armed Forces. 

That is borne out by the fact the group's co-founders consist of a serving lieutenant colonel and a former Other Ranks soldier who recently returned to civvy street.

"It might surprise people to see another rank like myself, recently discharged from the Army Reserve, and a lieutenant colonel in the regular Army that are mates," said Mr Ball.

"But we are mates. We're brothers. We have that shared experience of Afghanistan."

The group launches formally in December but has already engaged focus groups made up of Afghan veterans and created partnerships with major organisations like the RBL and the National Memorial Arboretum.

It has also attracted the backing of the Army's former boss, General Sir Patrick Sanders, who only recently retired from the military and his post as the Chief of the General Staff.

Gen Sir Patrick has accepted an invitation to become the association's patron and is joined by General Zac Stenning, Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, who will act as the organisation's military sponsor.

The organisation is calling on Afghan veterans to give their views via a survey which is currently live and will help form the basis of a report, which the association will make public upon its launch in December.

To take part in the survey, visit this link.