Roger Hutton, President of Defence Humanists, gave a very interesting talk in June on the formation of the Defence Humanists, the group’s role and purpose, and the range of issues on which it is engaged.
Roger retired from his role as Director, International Security, in the UK Ministry of Defence in 2020. Prior to this he had a long career in the Civil Service involving strategic planning, resource allocation, operational and international security policy. He has MA in International Relations and his thesis for his PhD was on UK defence policy.
Defence Humanists, a section of Humanists UK, brings together service personnel, veterans, Ministry of Defence staff, and their families to represent the interests of the non-religious in the armed forces. It organises events and community activities for its members and leads Humanists UK’s participation in Remembrance Day events and similar activities around the UK.
Their aims are
- To advance the provision of secular and Humanist services in support of members of the UK Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence and their families.
- To defeat discrimination and intolerance on the basis of religion or belief in the British Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence.
- To advance the education of current and former members of the UK Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence and their families in the philosophy of Humanism.
- To provide the means for like-minded individuals to discuss Humanist values, principles and relevant subjects, with a particular focus on the needs of the Armed Forces’ and Ministry of Defence community.
This is important as although 37.2% of serving personnel identify as non-religious, religion has always been pervasive in the armed forces. Ceremonial events will involve religious readings and pastoral support was provided only by Christian chaplains, unlike countries, such as Holland, where humanist chaplains have been in existence for 56 years. As a result of the Defence Humanists awareness of the non religious in the services has been raised and major steps forward have been achieved such as the first non religious remembrance event (2015) and the MOD now in the process of creating full-time non-religious pastoral support roles.
Roger also touched on Defence in the wider context of humanism, including such ethical questions as, is there any such thing as a just war and what responsibilities does a Humanist warrior have towards their enemy. He expressed the view that some, though not all, wars were justified and as a consequence investments in defence industries were necessary. To him, humanism did not equate to pacifism and it was necessary to take the world as it is, being pragmatic, rather than ideological. However it was important to do this in a way that placed the highest value on human life, showed compassion, recognising the enemy’s humanity. Hence the importance of international conventions regarding war . Military rules of engagement were vital and all war needed to be carried out according to internationally recognised standards. He believed that most countries recognised these standards even if they don’t always uphold them.
Thank you to Jenny Laney for the review.
