Ministers to make it easier to call-up older reservists for war

Veterans will be liable to be recalled for service until they are 65 under new measures intended to make Britain more prepared for war.

Legislation published on Thursday will raise the maximum age at which veterans can be recalled, and make it easier to mobilise them in a crisis.

The move is designed to increase the size of the “strategic reserve”, which includes ex-service personnel who are still liable for military service – the “ex-regular reserve” – and a wider “recall reserve” who can be mobilised in dire emergencies.

Lieutenant General Paul Griffiths, the commander of the Standing Joint Command, 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.

“I fully support these measures, which will give us the widest possible pool of experienced personnel to call upon in times of crisis.”

Current armed forces policy is not to recall any veteran over the age of 55, but the Armed Forces Bill introduced to the Commons on Thursday would raise that to 65.

It would also allow reservists to be recalled for “warlike preparations”, lowering the current threshold for mobilisation from a “national danger, great emergency or attack on the UK”.

The changes will come into effect from the spring of 2027, and those who have already left the military will not be affected unless they opt in.

Around 95,000 people are estimated to be liable for recall as part of the strategic reserve, although the Ministry of Defence does not publish statistics on the recall reserve.

The change comes as the UK attempts to boost its military capabilities in the face of growing threats, particularly from Russia.

Lt Gen Griffiths has been tasked with ensuring the UK is ready for combat, and said the reforms to the reserve would allow the armed forces to mobilise the “wealth of expertise” of veterans “when it matters most”.

The Ministry of Defence said the changes to rules on recalling reserves reflected the increasing importance Nato allies were placing on their own reserve forces, as well as the “innovative” use of reserves by Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.

The UK Government is also considering ways of increasing recruitment, including by offering military gap year placements to young people.

Last year, the new chief of the defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, warned that young people would have to be prepared to fight for the UK if necessary.