The head of the British Army has told the BBC it had undergone a culture change following a number of deaths of soldiers while they were on duty.
General Sir Nicholas Carter’s comments come after the Army was criticised for the death of Private Gavin Williams.
Pte Williams died after being subjected to an unlawful punishment known as “beasting”.
An inquest held in Salisbury this year heard how the 22-year-old Hengoed soldier was given the unofficial punishment on one of the hottest days of the year in July 2006. He collapsed from heatstroke and following the inquest the Army apologised.
The coroner said the Army’s chain of command failed to prevent the practice being carried out.
Sir Nicholas said: “We’ve changed our culture, we’ve recently issued a new code of leadership, which is something I feel very strongly about.
“I would be surprised if it occurred again. I’d never say it cannot happen, because of course it can, but we have put in place a lot of very different processes to ensure those sorts of things don’t happen in the future.”
Sir Nicholas’ comments also come after the deaths of three SAS trainees on a training exercise on one of the hottest days of 2013 in the Brecon Beacons.
A new inquest into the death of Llangollen-born Pte Cheryl James is currently underway after she was found dead with a gunshot wound in the Deepcut barracks in Surrey in 1995.
The original inquest recorded an open verdict but was overturned by the High Court.