London: The brutal slaughter of innocent British tourists on their sunloungers in Tunisia is a tragic reminder of the threat we face from Islamist extremists and those inspired by Daesh.

The militant attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait show yet again why Britain must, and will, remain resolute in its determination to take on and defeat Islamist extremism, wherever it rears its head.

Innocent British tourists, and those of many other nationalities, have been attacked while enjoying their family holidays by people whose interpretation of Islam could not be further from the spirit of what is a peaceful religion. We must not flinch from using our extensive resources to tackle this scourge.

Whether it be striking at Daesh in Iraq, intelligence gathering over Syria, training and equipping the Iraqi Security Forces or using our diplomacy to encourage the formation of a new government in Libya, Britain is taking a leading role in tackling the global challenges we face. Our security and intelligence agencies work tirelessly, day in, day out, to identify, track and monitor those who wish to harm us at home and abroad.

Our extremism strategy, tackling radicalisers and apologists for terrorism, is another vital tool to confront the threats we face. Our aid programme offers hope to millions who might otherwise be attracted to radicalism.

And our Armed Forces provide the ultimate guarantee of our security. Britain’s Armed Forces are on duty and on operations around the clock and around the world. Today, 4,000 of our troops are deployed on 21 different joint operations in 19 countries — double the number five years ago. And as a leading global power, with the 5th largest defence budget in the world, the biggest in Europe and with unique capabilities that are the envy of many, we are rightly proud of the way in which we care for our troops and our veterans.

The seventh annual Armed Forces Day on Saturday was an opportunity for the British people to demonstrate their support and admiration for the men and women who do so much to provide our security. The lengthy operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are over and the daily reports of heroic actions on the front line, the tragic details of those killed in action or those returning home with life-changing injuries may be behind us.

But for those who still bear the physical and mental scars of battle their personal campaigns remain as real as ever. That is why it is so important that we come together as a nation to continue to show our respect and support for our Armed Forces, long after the combat missions have drawn to a close and our troops have returned home.

And it is why the Government must continue to uphold its commitments to our Service men and women under the Armed Forces Covenant.

In the last Parliament, we enshrined in law the principles of that Covenant, legislating to make sure that those who give so much for our country are not disadvantaged due to their unique commitment. We have made sure that the children of service personnel who move post every few years are not disadvantaged when it comes to finding a new school place; and we have taken action to ensure that Service families are not disadvantaged when it comes to getting on the housing ladder through the Forces Help to Buy Scheme.

We have committed tens of millions of pounds to improve mental health care for our troops and veterans; invested in the very latest prosthetics for service men or women who have lost limbs; and created a Service Pupil Premium to give extra funding to schools for students from a military background.

We have also introduced bursaries for those who have lost parents in the course of their service, rolled out a wide range of benefits to military families and used tens of millions of pounds from Libor fines to help the service charities who do so much for our military communities. But there will always be more we can do. In 2011, we launched the Community Covenant to encourage local communities and local authorities to support the Armed Forces and their families. I’m delighted that all local authorities have signed that covenant.

Hundreds of community projects to benefit service families up and down the country have received Government funding as a result. However, the recent ruling by the Local Government Ombudsman that a council had failed to make adequate transport provision for the son of an Army medic to ensure he wasn’t disadvantaged by virtue of his father’s service should be a wake-up call for everyone in government.

It is a timely reminder that our Armed Forces and their families deserve not just our gratitude, but our practical support and assistance.

As we have shown our admiration for our Armed Forces, we should commit to redouble our efforts and look at what more we can do to support them.

We should all strive harder to do more for our unique Service men and women, helping them, so that they can go on keeping Britain safe. Philip Hammond is Britain’s Foreign Secretary

The Sunday Telegraph