NEW MEASURES being introduced through the Armed Forces Bill will raise the maximum age at which veterans can be recalled from 55 to 65 and lower the threshold for them being called into service.
Intended to strengthen the UK’s Strategic Reserve, former service personnel with an ex-Regular and Recall Reserve liability, the move will make it easier for the UK to call on experienced individuals in times of crisis.
The changes, which will align the time for which recall applies across all three services and means Reservists can be called upon for ‘warlike preparations’, will come into force next year if passed by Parliament.
Commander Standing Joint Command, Lt General Paul Griffiths, who is leading efforts to ensure the UK is ready to combat any acts of aggression, 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.
“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.”
Image: UK MOD © Crown copyright