The government does not accept this recommendation because it considers that protocols currently in place are fit for purpose. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, MoD has provided an unprecedented level of support to the national response, completing over 440 deployments in support of civil authorities. Armed Forces personnel have assisted with tasks as varied as logistics and planning for the vaccine roll-out; mass testing and vaccination; and frontline healthcare support. During late 2021, for instance, more than 1,100 servicemen and women were made available to assist with accelerating the roll-out of COVID-19 booster vaccinations across England, Scotland and Wales. The use of Armed Forces personnel and capabilities to support domestic resilience tasks and responses to crises is governed by the MACA process, as outlined in ‘Joint Doctrine Publication 02: Operations: The Defence Contribution to Resilience and Security’. Under the MACA process, civil authorities are able to make requests for support from the Armed Forces in certain contexts.40 These requests must be approved by a Minister in the requesting department of state and by a Defence Minister. During the pandemic, MoD deployed SLOs across government and into the NHS to facilitate the provision of military advice at an early stage and help assist in the development of requests. This built upon the existing network of regionally based full-time JRLOs who engage with civil authorities at the operational level and who can provide advice and track potential signals of demand ahead of time.