Pre-appointment hearing: Government’s preferred candidate for Armed Forces Commissioner
The Defence Committee will hold a pre-appointment hearing for the Government’s preferred candidate – Polly Miller-Perkins – for the position of Armed Forces Commissioner.
The Armed Forces Commissioner is a new position created by legislation in 2025. It absorbs the functions of the Service Complaints Ombudsman to adjudicate service complaints, as well as taking on a new function of promoting the welfare of persons subject to service law and their families, and of improving public understanding of those welfare issues.
Meeting details
Ms Miller-Perkins is a former RAF Air Commodore who served for over 30 years in the Royal Air Force. She specialised in logistics and held senior leadership roles, including Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, British Forces Cyprus. She deployed on operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Pre-appointment hearings are held by select committees for certain key public appointments before the appointment is formally made. The hearings assess the candidate’s suitability for the post. They are usually followed by a report that either endorses or raises concerns about the appointment.