Major boost to pool of skilled former military personnel called upon in crises as UK strengthen preparedness

New measures are being introduced through the Armed Forces Bill to strengthen the UK's Strategic Reserve (former Service personnel with an Ex Regular and Recall Reserve liability), to help Defence draw on their valuable skills and experiences in times of crisis.

The Ministry of Defence is taking decisive action to boost readiness and deliver on the first duty of government - to keep its citizens safe. The Bill includes measures that will affect our Regular and Volunteer Reserve personnel's liability for recall after they leave service. The key changes will:

• Increase the maximum age for call from 55 to 65

• Align the time for which recall applies across all three services

• Lower the threshold for recall so that Reservists can be recalled for 'warlike preparations' in addition to the current requirement for 'national danger, great emergency or attack on the UK'

Commander Standing Joint Command, Lt General Paul Griffiths, who is leading UK efforts to ensure we are ready to combat the increasing threat, said:

As the threat to our nation grows, we must ensure our Armed Forces can draw on the numbers and skills required to meet it. I fully support these measures, which will give us the widest possible pool of experienced personnel to call upon in times of crisis.

Our Strategic Reserve represents a wealth of expertise built over years of military and civilian experience - from cyber and intelligence to medicine and communications. These reforms will allow us to mobilise that talent rapidly when it matters most, strengthening our readiness and aligning with a similar approach many NATO forces are taking to bolster their own resilience."

In a move that will complement our excellent volunteer Reserves, these measures will ensure that in times of crisis we can both grow the pool of former Service personnel we call upon and have greater flexibility to draw on their skills and experiences during a transition to war. Members of the Strategic Reserve vary in age and offer diverse and valuable skills from their military and civilian experiences.

These critical personnel provide crucial expertise in cyber, medicine, intelligence and communications.

Our approach also aligns with the increasing importance NATO allies (including the US, France, Germany and Poland) are placing on their Reserve forces to strengthen their defence and resilience and draw on expertise from outside the Regular military. It also reflects lessons from Ukraine's innovative use of Reserves and whole of society response to Russian aggression.

In 2024, more than one in five troops training Ukrainian forces on Operation INTERFLEX - the British-led multinational military operation to train and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine - were Reservists.