UNITAF 6th Annual Survey Report (2025) - Comms Center - UNITAF

Unit-wide Announcements / Headquarters
UNITAF 6th Annual Survey Report (2025)


Tuesday 04 February 2025





Maj

Major James


Chairman
UNITAF


Introduction

This report presents the findings of the UNITAF 2025 Annual Survey, reflecting on the state of the unit over the past year and examining trends from 2019 to 2025. This report is objective and does not contain any substantive announcements regarding changes, Unit Command and Officers will meet in a week's time for our 80th Unit Command Meeting to discuss the results and we’ll follow up in due course.

Please note that as the Survey is done in January, the sections relating to the survey itself will refer to 2025 as the survey date on graphs and statistics but this data is generally considered to cover the preceding 12 months, i.e. 2024.

The goal of publishing the findings is to provide an overview of member satisfaction so that all contributors, staff and members can reflect on them in the years to come.

This year has seen, adjusted for unit size, the highest participation rate on record for the annual survey, so we’d just also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that took part.


 

1. Member Satisfaction

Overall Trends (2020-2025):

  • In 2020, 62% of respondents reported being very happy with UNITAF, with another 30% happy, leading to an overall 93% satisfaction rate.
  • This trend remained high through 2021 but saw a shift in 2022, with fewer members describing themselves as "very happy" and more selecting "happy."
  • Between 2023 and 2024, this shift continued, with "very happy" responses shifting while overall satisfaction remained strong at just under 90%.
  • 2025 saw a rebound in "very happy" responses, reflecting a stabilising trend.

  • The updated graph below visualizes both the shift between "Very Happy" and "Happy" responses over time and the overall combined satisfaction trends, providing a more detailed look at how sentiment has evolved.

Key Insights:

  • Satisfaction remains strong, while there has been a gradual softening in the "very happy" category in the last 3 years, this rebounded in the latest survey.
  • Open-ended responses indicate that leadership transitions, training system adjustments, and operational refinements have influenced scores.
  • Recent improvements in session availability and structure changes may have contributed to a recovery in the "very happy" category.

 

2. Session Availability & Organization

Overall Trends (2020-2025):

  • In 2020-2022, around 80% of respondents felt that the number of sessions was "just right," while 13-20% wanted more.
  • By 2023, demand for more sessions increased (22% wanted more), and by 2024, the number of members saying there were "too few" sessions doubled to 40%.
  • This trend continued in 2025, indicating a rising demand for more sessions.
  • Despite this, session organization remains highly rated, with "well-organized" responses consistently above 70% from 2020 to 2023, though this fell slightly in 2024 and 2025.

Key Insights:

  • As mentioned in the first section, the rebound in session availability is reflected in the recovery seen in these scores from 2024 to 2025.
  • There is a growing demand for more sessions, which may indicate an increase in engagement or a scheduling mismatch.
  • Session organisation remains strong but has declined slightly due to reasons explained later in this report.
  • Some members expressed frustration with limited availability of roles in niche areas, feeling that certain positions are difficult to access due to soft-locking or scheduling constraints.

 

3. Leadership Perception

Organizational Leadership (Staff)

  • 2020-2022: Leadership was consistently rated effective or very effective, with positive ratings remaining above 90%, peaking at 95.1% in 2021.
  • 2023: A notable shift occurred, with overall effective or very effective ratings dropping to 80.8%, while neutral (11.0%) and ineffective (8.2%) ratings increased, suggesting a decline in confidence.
  • 2024-2025: The effective or very effective rating rebounded (86.2% in 2024 and 89.9% in 2025), indicating a recovery in confidence if sustained over the coming year.
  • The dissolution of the unit command troop system in favor of NORGCOC in 2023 as marked on the graph below may have played a role in shaping organisational leadership perceptions.

  • 2020-2022: Very effective ratings fluctuated but remained relatively strong, particularly in 2020 (51.7%) and 2022 (45.0%).
  • 2023: Very effective ratings dropped to 26.0%, marking a major shift. Effective ratings remained high (54.8%), but there was an increase in neutral (11.0%) and ineffective (8.2%) responses.
  • 2024-2025: Very effective ratings improved (43.1% in 2024, 45.8% in 2025), but remain below pre-2023 levels, suggesting ongoing recovery.

In-Operation Leadership

  • 2020-2022: In game leadership was highly rated, with effective or very effective responses staying above 81%, peaking at 96.6% in 2020.
  • 2023: A decline occurred, with overall effectiveness dropping to 80.8% and neither effective nor ineffective ratings increasing to 16.4%.
  • Around 2023 a number of restrictions were lifted to allow non-NCOs to lead in deployments, while it’s a known trend that the Leadership rating in-deployment has been decreasing, it is expected that the rollout of FTS Leadership will hopefully assist in the continued recovery of this rating.
  • 2024-2025: The effectiveness rating further dropped in 2024 (74.2%), showing a decrease in confidence, before starting to recover in 2025 (81.3%).

  • 2020-2022: Very effective ratings were highest in 2020 (34.5%) and 2021 (34.1%), before dropping to 28.3% in 2022.
  • 2023: Very effective ratings decreased further to 19.2%, while neither effective nor ineffective ratings reached their highest point (16.4%).
  • 2024-2025: Very effective ratings remained low (19.0% in 2024, 20.3% in 2025), with ineffective ratings peaking in 2024 (10.3%), the highest in the dataset.

General Leadership Helpfulness

  • 2020-2022: Leadership was consistently rated as helpful or very helpful, with ratings staying above 90% in 2020 and 2021 but dropping to 90% in 2022.
  • 2023-2025: Helpful or very helpful ratings decline gradually to 87.67%, and neither helpful nor unhelpful reach 10.96%, with a very gradual recovery in the latest data.

  • 2020-2021: Very helpful ratings were at their highest, with 72.41% in 2020 and 63.41% in 2021.
  • 2022-2023: Very helpful ratings declined to 50% in 2022 and 39.73% in 2023, marking a clear shift.
  • 2024-2025: Very helpful has started to make a recovery post 2023, which may be in response to structural changes and returns above 50%, we also see a reduction in unhelpful ratings.

Key Insights:

  • While leadership remains well-regarded, there's been a noticeable shift away from "very effective/helpful" toward "effective/helpful." which has recovered in recent years.
  • Open-ended comments suggest that changes in the unit structure, training systems, and operational adjustments may be influencing these ratings.
  • Some members expressed frustration with the pace of system changes, particularly in the transition from the Legacy Training System (LTS) to the Future Training System (FTS).

 

4. Skill Progression & Member Development

Overall Trends (2020-2025):

  • 2020-2022: The majority of members felt they were progressing, with over 60% strongly agreeing that UNITAF helped them develop their skills.
  • Since 2021: Consistently more than 82% agree that UNITAF helped them develop their skills.
  • 2023-2025: While skill progression remained positive, the percentage of members who "strongly agree" declined slightly.

Key Insights:

  • UNITAF continues to be a strong platform for skill development.
  • The transition to new training systems (FTS) may be influencing perceptions of skill progression, as some members express concerns over implementation speed and clarity.

 

5. Open-Ended Responses: Likes & Dislikes

Commonly Liked:

  • The community remains the most cited positive aspect of UNITAF.
  • Members continue to appreciate the ORBAT system, structured missions, and training opportunities.
  • Many value the realism and dedication of leadership in running the organisation.

Common Criticism:

  • The pace of system changes (e.g., FTS, campaign structures) was a common concern.
  • Session availability has become a growing issue, with more members requesting additional operations, in many cases due to scheduling issues, time zones and slot requirements.
  • Some respondents feel that the tier system and role access can be restrictive.

 

6. Reflections on 2020-2025

Over the past six years, UNITAF has maintained strong satisfaction ratings, a well-organized structure, and an engaged community. However, recent trends indicate:

  • A shift from "very happy" to "happy" – satisfaction remains strong but has softened over the last 3 years, however a number of results show a positive recovery trend.
  • Increased demand for sessions – participation interest is growing, and capacity planning should be a focus moving forward.
  • Leadership effectiveness is still strong but slightly declining – more work can be done in communicating and implementing systems to continue refining this area.
  • Skill progression remains positive – UNITAF continues to develop its members effectively.
  • FTS transition concerns – members would like more clarity and a faster rollout of system changes.

 

7. Annual Operations & Performance Overview

Key Operational Statistics (2019-2024)

UNITAF’s operational output and attendance levels have fluctuated significantly over the past five years, largely influenced by external factors such as COVID-19 and shifting player availability.

Deployments Conducted:

  • 2020: 232 operations
  • 2021: 392 operations (highest year on record)
  • 2022: 319 operations
  • 2023: 284 operations
  • 2024: 258 operations (continuing a gradual decline)

Operational output peaked in 2021, reaching 392 deployments, before gradually declining to 258 in 2024. This reduction aligns with the drop in deployments per capita, as players engaged in fewer operations per month post-COVID.

Attendance Levels (Total Slots Filled):

  • 2020: 3,816 total attendances
  • 2021: 9,171 total attendances (highest year)
  • 2022: 8,293 total attendances
  • 2023: 6,477 total attendances
  • 2024: 5,138 total attendances

Attendance trends mirror the deployment numbers, showing a drop from 9,171 total attendances in 2021 to 5,138 in 2024. This reflects a more measured pace of activity within the unit.

After Action Review (AAR) Ratings in 2024:

  • Overall Satisfaction: 85.2%
  • Leadership Effectiveness: 86.3%
  • Mission Execution: 85.6%
  • Teamwork: 90.4% (highest rated category)
  • Communication: 84.6%

AAR Ratings continue to be strong, with teamwork receiving the highest rating at 90.4%, underscoring UNITAF’s continued emphasis on cooperative play.

Unique Players Participating Per Year:

  • 2020: 195 unique members deployed
  • 2021: 281 unique members deployed (peak year)
  • 2022: 243 unique members deployed
  • 2023: 249 unique members deployed
  • 2024: 219 unique members deployed

The unique player count remained stable around 219 in 2024, suggesting a more dedicated and retained core force rather than a high turnover rate.

Key Insights:

  • Deployments per capita have gradually declined from a peak of 9 per month in early COVID to a more sustainable 3 deployments per player per month, indicating that while the active force remains strong, participation levels per player have stabilised, although as outlined earlier, there is a desire for more deployments.

 

9. General Trends & Themes

Session Availability

  • While most find the session frequency "just right," a significant number feel there are too few sessions.

Leadership Effectiveness

  • Most respondents rate UNITAF leadership positively, but some indicate a perceived disconnect between leadership decisions and unit members' expectations.

Future Training System (FTS)

  • Multiple people mention that FTS implementation has been slow.
  • Some respondents are confused due to the prolonged rollout at understanding two systems.
  • Some feel progression is bottlenecked, particularly in niche roles like Comms and Aviation.

Role Access & Training Opportunities

  • Some feel roles can be “soft-locked” due to availability of learner slots or training sessions.
  • Some members struggle to break into leadership roles or specialist areas due to the tier system.

General Dislikes

  • Tier System: Some find it too rigid, especially for niche areas like Communications and Aviation.
  • A few mention that operations feel “samey”, with limited variety in mission structure.
  • Some find AARs tedious, especially after training or FTXs, comparing them to extra admin work.

 

10. Suggestions & Improvements

FTS Changes

  • Several respondents want faster implementation or more leniency in core infantry rating requirements for progression.

More Flexible Slotting

  • Some request more slots for lower tiers in missions.
  • Suggestion to make some slots competency-based instead of tier-restricted.

More Diverse Mission Types

  • Interest in more Airborne, Cavalry, Convoy, and Escort missions.

Better Visibility into Development Roadmap

  • Some feel UNITAF updates are too infrequent.
  • Suggestion to bring back TAFFCAST or monthly SITREPs to improve engagement and transparency.

More US Time Zone Support

  • Some US-based members struggle with scheduling due to the UK-centric session times.

 

11. Noteworthy Individual Concerns

Note that these were selected to be included as notable individual responses but not fitting the general themes covered by the majority of written responses.

Reward & Recognition

  • "I feel that too many of the same people do stuff and not get the credit they deserve for keeping the unit going."

UNITAF Direction & Communication

  • "It would be nice for UNITAF to come clear about the direction we are going to play in: ARMA 3 or ARMA Reforger. Last month we did so many Reforger missions I couldn't come because I don't have the game."
  • "More announcements about what's going on behind J-doors so that people's minds can spin up to think about how they would do it (instead).”

Bureaucracy

"It's arguably a little too well-organized... impressive back-end systems, but it's a bureaucratic monster."


 

12. Conclusion

This year’s survey highlights the strengths that continue to define our unit, well-structured operations, and our commitment to realism while also bringing attention to areas that need refinement. Satisfaction remains strong, but the feedback shows a clear shift in expectations, particularly around session availability, leadership structure and the pace of system changes, which we are all aware of.

As we look ahead, it’s important that we strike a balance between maintaining what works and adapting to the needs of the unit. The discussions that follow from this year's survey will focus on practical steps to address the results and provide more transparency around decision-making and future plans.

UNITAF has always been built on a foundation of continuous improvement, and this survey as with every year gives us the opportunity to reflect while staying true to what makes this unit successful.

In the next week, Unit Command and Officers will meet for the 80th Unit Command Meeting to review these findings in detail and work to ensure we consider any findings that may impact on our ongoing plans and that the next phase of UNITAF reflects both our traditions and the ambitions of those who make it what it is.


Major James
Chairman
UNITAF

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