The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom has been advising the government there about ways in which war can be made more palatable to the general public, including by reducing the ‘profile’ of repatriation ceremonies (code for returning the bodies of dead soldiers at night and without publicity), reducing ‘public sensitivity to the penalties inherent in military operations’ and inculcating ‘an attitude that Service may involve sacrifice and that such risks are knowingly and willingly undertaken as a matter of professional judgement’. One assumes that the risks are being equally shared across all ranks.
October 2013