The Armed Forces Covenant is not prescriptive about how the duty is met, and does not include:
- activities other that the three relevant functions are not within the scope, although councils can offer other support such as leisure passes
- not all issues affecting the Armed Forces Community are within the scope of the Armed Forces Covenant
- the Armed Forces Covenant does not supersede or replace any other statutory requirement, such as the Equality Act 2010
- advantageous treatment as a matter of course is not within scope of the Duty, such as offering discounts to all through the Defence Discount Service, or to a broad group through the Veterans Railcard. However, bodies are still free to implement such schemes as part of their support to the Armed Forces Community. Similarly, the Duty does not give an individual any automatic right to the best house, best school, or to jump a queue. However, special provision can sometimes be justified.