Older veterans will be liable to be recalled for service under new measures aimed at making Britain more prepared for war.
The Armed Forces Bill will raise the maximum age at which veterans can be recalled from 55 under the current policy to 65 and make it easier to mobilise them in a crisis.
It is designed to increase the size of the “strategic reserve”, which consists of the “ex-regular reserve” – former service personnel who are still liable for military service – and a wider “recall reserve” that can be mobilised in emergency scenarios.
Approximately 95,000 people are currently estimated to be liable for recall as part of the strategic reserve, but the Ministry of Defence does not publish data on the recall reserve.
Lieutenant General Paul Griffiths, the commander of the Standing Joint Command tasked with ensuring the UK is ready for combat, said the reforms to the strategic reserve would allow the armed forces to mobilise the “wealth of expertise” of veterans “when it matters most”.
“As the threat to our nation grows, we must ensure our armed forces can draw on the numbers and skills required to meet it,” he added.
“I fully support these measures, which will give us the widest possible pool of experienced personnel to call upon in times of crisis.”
Under the legislation introduced to the Commons on Thursday, reservists can be recalled for “warlike preparations” – a lower threshold for mobilisation than the current one of a “national danger, great emergency or attack on the UK”.
The changes will be in effect from spring 2027, but will not apply to those who have already left the military unless they opt in.
The bill comes as the UK aims to boost its military capabilities amid growing threats, especially from Russia, with the Ministry of Defence saying the changes mirrored the “innovative” use of reserves by Ukraine in the face of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Read more:
Military chief: UK has no defence plan in event of war
Everyone in UK ‘must step up’ to deter Russian threat
Follow our channel and never miss an update.
It said the new measures also reflected the increasing importance NATO allies were placing on their own reserve forces.
The government is also considering ways of increasing recruitment, with its military gap year scheme for under-25s set to open in March, which is aimed at getting more teenagers interested in serving in the armed forces.
