Tri-Service

Reports: "Army Reservists Don't Feel Valued By Full-Timers"

The Defence Secretary has reportedly admitted that most Army reservists do not feel "valued" by their full-time counterparts.

Michael Fallon noted research showing that only 30 per cent of part-time Army recruits feel valued by regular soldiers, in a letter to the chairman of the UK Reserve Forces external scrutiny committee, according to the Telegraph newspaper.

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Mr Fallon is reported to have pointed to the statistic as an issue affecting the retention of reservists, writing:

“Cultural issues are another factor that can affect retention and the white paper acknowledges that there would be a challenge for regular personnel to recognise and value the contribution of reservists and for reservists to feel valued by their regular counterparts.

“This remains an issue but I do not see it as insurmountable. For instance, although only 30 per cent of reservists have said they feel valued by regulars, it is encouraging to see that almost two thirds of regulars who have worked alongside reserves rate them as professional and almost as many rate their contribution as valuable.”

The Defence Secretary noted however, that figures show that most people in the Army Reserve are satisfied and proud of their work, adding that he hopes cultural issues can be ironed out as the two groups of soldiers mix more frequently.

He added that extra training, foreign trips and increased awareness about the role of reserve forces would encourage more recruits to choose to stay.

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The government plans to have 30,000 trained reservists in place by 2020, with there being 22,530 currently, up 10.4 per cent from December 2014.

Labour MP Clive Lewis, who went to Afghanistan as a reservist in 2009, said:

“When I was doing my training, especially the infantry, we were called STABS [s**t TA b******s] by the guys who were training us.

“Some would look down on us as amateur and part-time and who didn’t know their arse from their elbow but then in other parts of my career there were those who looked on us with admiration because we took the time to do this on our own time and to learn the skills and abilities in a volunteer capacity."

“Among many reservists there is a desire to be the best, to push yourself the extra mile to be fitter and have more knowledge because you know you have something to prove.

“I’m not surprised by this letter but I’ve experienced both sides, there was definitely an issue with it in my time but clearly if the government is going to increase the role of reservists in the army …then they’re going to need to look at the issue of esteem amongst reservists.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson, meanwhile, said:

"Changing attitudes is not an overnight process; however we have made it very clear that the Reserves are an integral part of the UK Armed Forces."

"As Regulars and Reservists increasingly work alongside each other, more and more will come to acknowledge the skills and benefits that each can bring and gain from the relationship.

"Reserves deliver many different capabilities at home and abroad, including operational deployments in Afghanistan and Cyprus, supporting emergencies, such as floods in the UK, or carrying out prestigious guarding duties at the Tower of London."