Over the last five years members of the British armed forces have found themselves serving in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and know firsthand the risks that they face. In addition they have seen the devastating effects that a death in service can have on a family or the stress and strains of living with injuries incurred in battle.



Other people believe that the rise is due to soldiers becoming concerned that they would not be adequately looked after if they were to get injured whilst fighting. Compensation pay outs to soldiers in this situation have been poor in the past. Accident insurance is one way of topping up this fund to ensure quality of life. However soldiers are considered high risk and often encounter problems securing cost-effective insurance deals.

In order to combat this, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has said that British soldiers will be offered a special life insurance that factors in the risk of terrorism and going to war. This new life insurance aims to provide a tailored policy for service personnel whilst keeping their premiums to a similar level of the policies offered to civilians. It will be the only insurance policy of its kind, and will be made available to every serving member of the armed forces regardless of rank or regiment. Previously life insurance premiums have been very expensive for military personnel but the MOD has found a company to underwrite the new policies with some premiums costing as little as six pounds.

Many service personnel are pleased with the move, as the likelihood of being posted to an operational zone has increase in recent years. The Armed Forces have made personnel cuts over the last twenty years meaning the number of men and women and available for active duty has declined, and therefore the likelihood of being posted to a war zone can be higher. While army personnel are trained to go to war, they are still working in a high risk environment, which could cause injury or even death. Finding a life insurance policy that will provide for their family should the worse happen, means they can work in these areas feeling more secure about their families' future.

According to the Association of British Insurers, military personnel have always been able to buy life insurance policies and thousands have already taken out the protection. However it is extremely difficult to find a competitive quote once someone is placed under readiness for operational deployment. Some insurers even closed their life insurance schemes to applicants after it was announced that the British army would be going to war in Iraq. Having a tailored life insurance scheme that understands the environment in which service personnel operate will enable more people to have the opportunity to get cover and provide some piece of mind in an uncertain climate.