Strategic Reserve age limit rising to 65 so more can be recalled should war loom
The UK needs to be able to recall former service personnel faster and more effectively should the country need to prepare for war, Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has said.
The Strategic Reserve age limit is being raised from 55 to 65 - one of several new measures that are being introduced through the Armed Forces Bill to draw on their valuable skills and experiences in times of crisis.
Mr Carns told BFBS Forces News the world had become more unstable in recent years, pointing to the events unfolding now in Ukraine and Iran.
New measures in a fragile world
He said: "The reality is... we live in a pretty fragile environment at the moment.
"I'm not scaremongering in any way, shape or form, but in the last 24 years I've never seen it so fragile. Every time you look at the news, I read the intelligence report. There's a serious seismic shift."
Those who've served in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army or Royal Air Force have a legal liability to train and can be called out and mobilised if needed, depending on when they left, and fall under two categories.
Some are part of the Ex-Regular Reserve, which includes ex-service personnel who still have a legal liability to train and can be called out and mobilised if needed. Others come under the Recall Reserve - those with a legal liability to be recalled in the direst of situations.
An umbrella term - the Strategic Reserve - is used to describe the Ex-Regular and Recall Reserve combined.
Warlike preparations
In addition to raising the upper age limit, the new measures also seek to align the time for which recall applies across all three services and lower the threshold for recall.
This would mean reservists can be recalled for "warlike preparations" in addition to the current requirement for "national danger, great emergency or attack on the UK".
Mr Carns explained: "We need to be able to recall people faster and more effectively. And that's primarily ensuring that people can be recalled for warlike preparations, which will be developed through a faceted pool of both intelligence [and ] movements in a geopolitical space.
"And if it is decided, then we can put these individuals back to help."
Management ahead of marksmanship
Mr Carns emphasised that older personnel would not have to take on an active combat role, instead using their current skills and expertise.
"It's worth noting that doesn't mean to say people will be picking up a gun and digging trenches," he said.
"That could be anything from individuals who have left, [who] have really good digital skills experienced in the defence industry all the way through to, managerial skills, pulling them in to help us make sure this nation is ready."
However, Mr Carns would not be drawn into saying exactly what circumstances could initiate a recall of the Strategic Reserve.
"I don't want to outline what those look like specifically, because I think that would be advantageous, perhaps, to our adversaries," he said.
"But what I can say is there's a rigorous understanding of what that looks like. But there's also flexibility in a situation because threats that we faced maybe 50 or 100 years ago are very different to the threats we face now."
He gave the examples of Russian spy ships off the coast all the way through to cyber attacks, undersea cables and the penetration of UK airspace.
Who's affected?
The reforms are expected to come into force from spring 2027 and military personnel who are currently serving will have the opportunity to opt out, while former personnel whose liability has expired will not be affected.
An estimated 95,000 people have a Strategic Reservist liability and the MOD is working to refine these figures and those who could be called out in practice.
Those who have already left the service will not be affected, unless they wish to opt-in. Currently only around 5% of veterans have an ongoing liability for recall to service.
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