Army Reserve (United Kingdom)

Army Reserve (United Kingdom)
Unit name	Army Reserve
Caption	Cap badge of the Army Reserve
Dates	1908–present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	United Kingdom
Type	Reserve force
Role	Reinforce the British Army
Size	30,180 trained personnel (2024)
Command structure	Ministry of Defence
Garrison	London
Garrison label	Headquarters
Website	https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/our-people/reserves/

Army Reserve (United Kingdom). The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. Formerly known as the Territorial Army, it provides fully integrated, trained personnel to augment the regular forces across all military operations. Its members, often holding civilian careers, commit to a minimum number of training days annually and can be called into full-time service under the Reserve Forces Act 1996.

History

The modern Army Reserve traces its origins to the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, which established the Territorial Force in 1908 as a home defence force separate from the Regular Army. This force was mobilised for the First World War, with its battalions fighting in major campaigns like the Battle of the Somme and Gallipoli campaign. It was renamed the Territorial Army in 1920 and again saw extensive service during the Second World War, with units deployed in theatres from the Battle of France to the Burma campaign. Post-war, it served through the Cold War and was mobilised for the Suez Crisis. A major restructuring under the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 led to its renaming as the Army Reserve in 2014, aiming for deeper integration with the British Army.

Organisation

The Army Reserve is organised into regional brigades aligned with the regular army's divisions, such as the 1st (United Kingdom) Division and 3rd (United Kingdom) Division. Key formations include the 101st Operational Sustainment Brigade and the 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade. Reserve units are embedded within regular regiments and corps, including the Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, and Royal Engineers. The London Regiment is a notable reserve infantry unit, while the Special Air Service and Army Intelligence Corps also have reserve components. Headquarters are based in London, with units spread across the United Kingdom in locations like Birmingham, Glasgow, and Cardiff.

Role and deployments

The primary role is to provide trained reinforcements to the regular British Army for operations, including enduring commitments like Operation Tosca in Cyprus and Operation Newcombe in Mali. Reservists have been routinely mobilised for recent conflicts, including the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. They support domestic resilience tasks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic response under Operation Rescript and providing security for major events like the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Reserve also contributes specialists in fields such as cyber warfare, medicine, and logistics to operations worldwide.

Recruitment and training

Recruitment is managed by the Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, targeting individuals from civilian careers. Potential recruits undergo assessment at a Army Reserve Centre before beginning the Common Military Syllabus (Reserve) at training establishments like Army Training Centre Pirbright or Army Training Regiment Grantham. Following initial training, reservists complete specialist trade courses with their parent corps or regiment. All personnel must complete a minimum of 27 training days per year, which includes weekend drills and a two-week annual continuous training exercise, often alongside regular units at locations like Salisbury Plain.

Equipment

The Army Reserve uses the same standard-issue equipment as the regular British Army, ensuring full interoperability. This includes the SA80 assault rifle, General Purpose Machine Gun, and Light Machine Gun. They operate vehicles such as the Foxhound protected patrol vehicle and the Land Rover Wolf. Support units utilise platforms like the MAN SV truck, while medical reserves employ the Critical Care Air Support Team equipment. Specialist units, such as those in the Royal Engineers, use tools like the Python Minefield Breaching System.

Ranks and insignia

The Army Reserve uses the same rank structure and insignia as the regular British Army, from Private to General. All ranks are prefixed with "AR" (e.g., AR Captain) when serving in a reserve capacity. Insignia, including those for the Non-Commissioned Officer ranks of Corporal and Sergeant, and commissioned officers from Second Lieutenant upwards, are identical. Reserve officers are commissioned by the British monarch and hold the same Queen's (or King's) Commission as their regular counterparts.

Category:British Army Category:Military of the United Kingdom Category:Reserve forces of the United Kingdom