25/03/2025
Military Institutional Impact Scale (MIIS) – Stakeholder Feedback Summary
Thank you to the veterans who shared their perspectives through this recent anonymous MIIS survey. Your input is informing ongoing conversations with relevant stakeholders, including the Office of Veterans Ombud, and contributes to broader dialogues about veterans' experiences and the institutional factors that have shaped them.
Exploratory Findings Overview
The MIIS explored a range of experiences within the CAF by asking participants about both positive elements (e.g., trust in Chain of Command, preparation for deployments, pride in career) and negative elements (e.g., barriers to health services, impact of gossip/rumours, gaslighting when raising concerns).
A total of 53 veterans participated. Most respondents have been out of the CAF for over a decade. Of these, 41 identified as male and 12 as female; 29 were medically released while 24 were released for non-medical reasons.
The analysis combined 30 positive items into a "positive experience factor" and 30 negative items into a "negative experience factor." On average, participants leaned toward slight disagreement with positive experiences and strong agreement with negative experiences—suggesting an overall negative perception of their time in the CAF. However, individual responses varied, with some veterans reporting both high positive and high negative experiences.
Interestingly, no major differences were found between medically and non-medically released participants regarding their positive or negative factor scores. However, gender differences emerged, with female respondents reporting lower positive and higher negative experiences compared to males.
Participant Voices
Veterans shared powerful comments that further contextualize these findings:
• “The CAF is full of good people but has some unfair and antiquated policies... Performance reviews and promotion boards are very political.”
• “The whole ‘suck it up’ mantra hammered into us for the duration of my career has ruined my mental health, left me with injuries, and cost me relationships with my kids.”
• “Bad actors in leadership are often protected while those who challenge them face mobbing and crushing. The CAF does not acknowledge ‘social violence’ within its power structures.”
• “It’s a very British Navy mentality—NCMs are treated more poorly than Officers, by Officers.”
• “The institution continually impacts my life... Trust remains an issue in most areas.”
• “Sexual orientation discrimination is rampant in the CAF.”
• “Abuse and self-sabotage were normalized.”
