The Ministry of Defence has lost track of military veterans it intends to recall in a national emergency, according to a key government adviser. George Robertson, a former defence secretary and Nato head who co-authored last year's strategic defence review, said officials have failed to maintain a full record of contact details for the 95,000-strong strategic reserve.
Speaking at an event in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Robertson said: “What the review talks about is having the strategic reserve, that is, all of the people in this room who’ve been in the forces who have got a continuing obligation. But the Ministry of Defence at the present moment doesn’t even know where most of them are. So we need to sort of round up those who are available and fit and willing to be able to do it.”
Under existing law, all former officers, regular and reserve, retain recall liability for life. The MoD maintains contact with former personnel for the first six years after they leave full-time service through an annual reporting letter, but records have not been similarly maintained for those who left more than six years ago. The practice of keeping in touch with all veterans liable for recall fell away after the Cold War.
The strategic defence review, chaired by Robertson, General Richard Barrons and Fiona Hill, recommended last June that the government urgently address rejuvenating the strategic reserve. Plans included mapping reservists' locations and skillsets and improving engagement under a refreshed veterans' communications strategy. In January, the government announced it would increase the maximum age for military recall from 55 to 65 and broaden the legal threshold to include 'warlike operations'.
Robertson expressed frustration that the government was still delaying fresh funding for the military and preparing the country for war. He accused leaders of showing “corrosive complacency” toward defence, putting the country “in peril” at a time when it was “under attack”. He said: “We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe … Britain’s national security and safety is in peril.”
The Royal United Services Institute also criticised the scope and pace of changes to the strategic reserve. In a February briefing paper, the defence thinktank argued the government had not explained how recalled personnel would be funded, armed, trained or integrated. An MoD spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of the strategic reserve, which is why we are delivering on the Strategic Defence Review through our armed forces bill. The bill will expand our pool of reserves by increasing the maximum age limit for recall, enable seamless transfer between regular and reserve forces and give the defence secretary power to authorise recall for warlike operations. We are also constantly improving our data and communicating with our strategic reserve community to mobilise talent rapidly when it matters most.”
