The Needlemakers Company has long had associations with the Army however have been affiliated 3rd Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment since its creation.

The Needlemakers Sword is presented annually to the best young officer and the Salerno Trophy, donated by Past Master Alan Foster in 1994, is presented to the best Non Commissioned Officer.

In 2020, an affiliation was established with the newly commissioned HMS Trent, a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel.

HMS Trent

In 2018, as part of the events to mark 100 years of service, the Royal Air Force sought to increase the number of affiliations with livery companies. As the Needlemakers are keen to support young people, an affiliation was established with 27F (Chingford) Air Training Squadron in the summer of 2019.