Ex-Armed Forces & Veterans Support at Thales

Thales’ Armed Forces Community platform has been built with the military community, for the military community.

Whether you’re a Veteran, Reservist, Service Family member or volunteer, this platform is your space to uncover Thales as a potential next step in your career journey. With information spanning the markets we lead, to the cultures we foster.

You’ll learn of the many policies we have in place to make sure that all members of the armed forces community, including their families, can thrive at Thales.

You can also ask our Advocates about their journey to civilian life with Thales! Advocates are current employees from our very own Armed Forces Network, volunteering their time to answer any questions you may have about joining us, from those who truly understand your journey.

If you or someone you know is part of the military community, please share this platform and encourage them to read through our resources.

This platform is there to provide support, guidance and peace of mind to those outside of Thales. We need you to help us reach them.

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Thales UK partners with Morson Forces, who are focused on securing skilled employment for ex-forces personnel, supporting the transition into civilian life and advising businesses on how service leavers can add significantly to their organisation. The work with ex-military contract and permanent staff from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF, working across projects in the UK and overseas.

Morson Forces have been supporting the British military for more than 20 years. The team is made up of a number of ex-military personnel who understand service leavers' transferrable skills, challenges and needs and are therefore able to place people into roles that are perfectly suited.

Morson Forces are also holders of the MoD Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award, which is the Ministry of Defence’s highest badge of honour for organisations that have demonstrated outstanding support for those who serve and have served.

Supporting ex-military to gain skills

We sponsor the disabled Veterans' Scholarship programme with the Open University,  which gives UK veterans injured in or due to service access to Open University qualifications

Thales Gold Award Winner  - UK MoD Employer Recognition

In 2014, Thales UK signed the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant, reinforcing our support of the Armed Forces Community and recognising the value that Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

Thales Reservist Policy

Thales recognises that many of the skills that reservists gain during their training are transferable to the workplace and will assist reservists as far as possible, for example, by taking into account unusual leave requirements and providing support when a reservist returns from mobilisation

A leave of absence of up to three weeks (this does not need to be in one block) in any one leave year could be granted if you are attending training. A maximum of two weeks of this absence may be granted with basic pay, at the sole discretion of Thales. The third week will be without pay or may be taken out of your normal annual holiday entitlement.

Thales Charitable Trust

The trust donates annually to the Army Benevolent Fund, Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, RAF Benevolent Fund and Combat Stress (provide a range of community, outpatient and residential mental health services to veterans with complex mental health problems).

Armed Forces Network

The network supports members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists, service families, and cadet volunteers.

Volunteering

Thales' Volunteering programme enables employees to access 24 hours per year of paid volunteering, and a number of our employees volunteer with the Army Cadets as instructors and mentors.

Recognising the many faces of our workforce: Engineers, Veterans, Reservists and LGBTQ+ Colleagues

This June (2025), we celebrated our uniqueness at Thales. From women in engineering pushing tech innovation, veterans sharing their stories and deepening our understanding of what it means to serve, while LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies came together in support of PRIDE.

This June was filled with energy, pride, and purpose. International Women in Engineering Day, Armed Forces Week, and Pride Month are three moments that reflect the strength of our diverse community and our commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can thrive.

In recognition of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) on June 23, our Women in Thales UK Network (WiTh) organised a series of networking and speaker events across our sites. Colleagues had the opportunity to hear from inspiring women engineers, including Tracey Skivington and Lindsey Gray who presented their engineering achievements and insights into their career path at Thales. Innovative technologies were showcased such as Challenger, MSET, PAAG, and the optics behind our sighting systems.

INWED was established in 2014 as National Women in Engineering Day by the Women’s Engineering Society and became an international celebration in 2017. This year’s theme, “Together We Engineer” aims to elevate the profile of women in engineering, addressing the significant under-representation in the field. According to 2021 statistics, only 16.5% of engineers are women, highlighting the importance of our collective efforts to inspire and empower the next generation of female engineers.

Through initiatives like these, the WiTh UK Network continues to champion diversity and inclusion, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued within our industry.

Armed Forces Week (23-29 June) kicked off with Chris Edwards and John Hart receiving the Gold Certificate (Employer Recognition Scheme) from the MOD on behalf of Thales, recognising of our ongoing commitment to supporting veteran colleagues. It was great to welcome local Air Cadets to join the occasion.

This commitment was highlighted during the week as colleagues across our sites came together to honour the service of veterans and reservists. Over 900 veterans, reservists, military family members and cadet force adult volunteers work among us every day. By sharing their stories, we deepen our understanding of what it means to serve and protect our nation, and the role we play at Thales in supporting our UK Armed Forces with battle-winning capability,

During Pride Month (June), our LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies came together to support diversity and inclusion. From fundraising events to support the charity FFLAG, LGBTQ+ colleagues sharing their stories, to collaborating with the Armed Forces Network at the flag handover ceremonies, our colleagues highlighted our commitment to building an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can be themselves and thrive.

Thank you to everyone who got involved - whether by sharing your story, listening to others, or simply coming along to one of these events. You made it meaningful.

Here's a collection of photos from these events:

Showcase and speaker event in Glasgow for International Women in Engineering Day

Panel event in Belfast for International Women in Engineering Day

Receiving the Gold Certificate (Employer Recognition Scheme) from the MOD, and joined by some of our local Air Cadets.

LGBTQ+ Network flag handover with the Armed Forces Network

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