I'm not sure about the fairness of the LS&GCM for those currently serving. From what I've read:
To qualify for the award, officers must be serving in the Regular Armed Forces on or after 29 July 2014 and other ranks must be serving on or after 1 October 2016 and both must have completed 15 years Regular service, free and clear of any disciplinary entry on their records.
15 years? In 2014 the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 tariff for a 4 year
custodial sentence was reduced from 'never spent' to 7 years - yet the LS&GCM criteria for some mere 'Axminster shuffler' is more than twice that.... So someone deemed not to qualify for this piece of bling will be stigmatised for 15 years in a very public way whenever medals are to be worn?
Is that really fair in this day and age? Or should the 'free from sin' period be reviewed to reflect the amendments to the Act?