Overview
- Former NATO chief Lord George Robertson said the Ministry of Defence does not know where most of the estimated 95,000 people in the UK’s strategic reserve are.
- The strategic reserve covers ex-regulars and ex-reservists who can be called back to duty, yet MoD records are only kept up through annual letters for the first six years after discharge.
- Reports say details for many who left more than six years ago are out of date, which could slow any rapid call-up in a crisis when time and accurate contact data are critical.
- The MoD says it is improving data and backs the Armed Forces Bill, which raises the recall age to 65, allows easier moves between regular and reserve service, and adds recall for “warlike operations.”
- Coverage also flags strain on forces and budgets, with regular personnel near 70,000 and about 32,000 active reservists, a reported £28bn funding gap, and the prime minister defending recent spending increases and a pledge toward 3.5%.