About the Military Education Committee

The Bristol University Military Education Committee is a committee of the Senate of Bristol University. It exists for the purpose of managing the interface between the Universities in the Bristol area (principally the University of Bristol, the University of Bath and the University of the West of England) and the contingents of the Armed Forces which serve the undergraduate community of those Universities, that is the Bristol University Royal Naval Unit, the Bristol University Officers Training Corps and the Bristol University Air Squadron, and to promote defence studies and military education within the three Universities.

The Committee works to formal terms of reference. The membership of the Committee comprises representative members of the academic staffs of the three Universities, the Commanding Officers of the three Service contingents, the University Liaison Officer of each of the three Armed Forces, the Chief Executive of the Wessex Reserve Forces and Cadets Association and the past Commanding Officers of the Officers Training Corps. The Secretary to the Committee is an administrator from the staff of Bristol University.

Twenty groups of universities throughout the United Kingdom have Military Education Committees. At a national level these Committees combine in the Council of Military Education Committees of the United Kingdom (COMEC). COMEC meets annually as a full Council with the COMEC Executive carrying on the business of COMEC on a routine basis between Council meetings.

Military Education Committees were first formed in UK universities under the provisions of the 1908 legislation implementing the Army reforms introduced by R B Haldane, the then Secretary of State for War. Bristol's Military Education Committee was formed in 1910 shortly after the University received its Royal Charter.