UK army ‘cannot rule out sending 65 year-olds into battle’ | UK | News
Retired troops in their sixties could be called upon to rejoin the military under new powers aimed at making it easier to mobilize tens of thousands of veterans. Ministers will raise the age limit for strategic reserves from 55 to 65 as part of measures aimed at preparing the country for war, the Ministry of Defense reported on Thursday, The Times reported.
Former armed forces personnel will also remain in service for an additional ten years and the threshold for call-up will be lowered. Currently the defense secretary can force all non-officer veterans of the army or RAF to take up arms during a crisis or national emergency if they have been separated within the last 18 years and are under 55. This period is only six years for the Navy, but will increase to 18 under the new legislation.
The changes will allow non-officer veterans to be called up to age 65, in line with existing rules for officers. The new rules will be mandatory for those currently in the military, but those who have already left service will also be able to follow them. The strategic reserve is believed to have around 95,000 members, but the government does not know where all of them are because it has not been able to contact them over the years, the report said.
A defense source said they could not rule out sending a 65-year-old into combat, but their role would be chosen based on their skills and experience. The source said: “Most of these [people] “They have experience deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the roles they may eventually take on could be cyber, logistics and training.”
Mobilization threshold expanded to include ‘war preparations’
The mobilization threshold will also change, the source said. Under current rules, reserve members can be called up in the event of “national danger, major emergency or attack in the UK”. This would be extended to “combat readiness,” the same threshold as reservists who have separated from active service in the past few years.
The Defense Department said a small number of reservists could be called up to take on specialized non-combat roles, citing cybersecurity as an example. Lieutenant-General Paul Griffiths, Standing Joint Command Commander, who is leading efforts to ensure Britain is ready to face the growing threat of war, said: “We must ensure that our armed forces can draw on the numbers and skills required to meet this threat. I fully support these measures, which will provide us with the broadest possible pool of experienced personnel to call upon in times of crisis.”
The changes, which are part of legislation on the armed forces released to parliament on Thursday, were first reported by the BBC. These are seen as significant changes that ministers believe will help boost Britain’s conflict readiness.
Mandatory training and testing for reservists was canceled in the 1990s
Until the 1990s, people still subject to “reserve service obligation” were required to attend one weekend of training each year and take mandatory fitness and weapons tests. This doesn’t happen anymore.
Those currently separated from military service and in the strategic reserve will not be affected by the changes unless they participate. Currently, only 5 percent of veterans still have service obligations, and it’s unclear how much the changes would increase those numbers.
The Ministry of Defense hopes to implement the changes in the spring of next year.
