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The United Kingdom has announced it will increase the maximum call age from 55 to 65 years old to boost military readiness under the Armed Forces Bill.
The bill is envisioned to grow the pool of former Service personnel who Defence could draw on in times of crisis and strengthen the UK’s Strategic Reserve of former service personnel.
Under the changes to regular and volunteer reserve personnel’s liability for recall after they leave service, the maximum age for call is increased to 65 years old and recall time will be aligned across all three services.
In addition, the threshold will be lowered so that Reservists can be recalled for “warlike preparations” in addition to the current requirement for “national danger, great emergency or attack on the UK”.
“As the threat to our nation grows, we must ensure our Armed Forces can draw on the numbers and skills required to meet it. I fully support these measures, which will give us the widest possible pool of experienced personnel to call upon in times of crisis,” according to Commander Standing Joint Command, Lieutenant General Paul Griffiths.
“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.”
The UK Ministry of Defence has previously confirmed that more than one in five troops training Ukrainian forces on the British-led multinational military Operation Interflex were Reservists.
These personnel provide crucial expertise in cyber, medicine, intelligence and communications.
