The Strategic Reserve: What is it? Are you in it? And would you even know?

Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones recently brought up the Strategic Reserve – pointing out how it's a real commitment for those that are in it.

"They will be exercised as part of our exercise programme next year, where we will go through measures to call out and to use and equip and all the rest of the procedures we'd have to go through to be able to use the Strategic Reserve properly," she said.

As a former Army officer, Mrs Sandher-Jones is herself a member of the Strategic Reserve.

• One-in, one-out as Ministry of Defence confirms British Army is not undermanned
• Fond farewell for HMS Queen Elizabeth as she lands key Nato role for first time
• Air Command renamed Air and Space Command as RAF expands military space role

Changes on the way

Giving evidence to the House of Lords National Resilience Committee, she admitted she hadn't given it much thought since leaving.

However, the former Intelligence Corps soldier warned a step change was coming with the current approach.

There are about 95,000 people in the Strategic Reserve, and the major resilience exercise the minister discussed is likely to be Nato's Exercise Steadfast Defender.

So who are these 95,000 people?

The Strategic Reserve is made up of the Ex-Regular Reserve and the Recall Reserve.

People in the Ex-Regular Reserve are legally obliged to train and can be called up, whereas the Recall Reserve is only called up for active duty, normally defined as war or operations.

However, it's worth noting recent changes to the new Armed Forces Act have lowered the bar for the recall to "warlike preparations", with the Ministry of Defence saying at the time of this announcement in January 2026 this was due to growing threats to the UK.

For the Army and the RAF, the legal liability for call-up lasts 18 years, with the first six in the Ex-Regular section and the remaining years in the Recall Reserve.

For the Royal Navy that time on standby is shorter: they are in the Strategic Reserve for just six years, with the first three served in the Ex-Regular Reserve and the rest in the Recall Reserve.

For all three services the Strategic Reserve liability ends at the age of 55, although again that will rise to 65 as the Armed Forces Bill comes into law at the end of this year.

How will this all be coordinated?

Back in January, then-defence minister Al Carns was not at all sure the MOD had the information it needed to action this kind of recall.

"It is an utter mess," he said.

"We have active reserves, volunteer reserves, strategic reserves, regular reserves, all in different terms and conditions of service, different pensions, different times that they have to stay on call.

"In some cases, we know where some groups are. We don't know where other groups are. We've taken our eye off the ball since the Cold War."

Today, BFBS Forces News understands the MOD communicates with members of the Strategic Reserve using the Annual Reporting Letter.

This is a process which we understand allows it to keep contact details up to date, which the MOD could then use to mobilise or recall people if required.

And we also understand there is more work underway to establish a wider communications campaign.