| Summary
The Reserve Forces have become an integral part of the United Kingdom's defence capability. Reserve Forces comprise approximately 36,000 Volunteer Reserves, the largest element being the Territorial Army, and some 52,000 Regular Reserves (former Regular service personnel who retain a liability to be called up). The Department has used Reserves at unprecedented levels in the last ten years with the Reserve Forces making an increasingly important contribution to Defence as the Regular Forces have become more stretched. It has also successfully changed the culture of the Volunteer Reserve Forces to one where Reservists now expect and want to serve on operations. Over 12,000 Reservists, most of them from the Volunteer Reserves, have served in Iraq since operations commenced in early 2003.
All of the Volunteer Reserve Forces are below strength and numbers have been falling, although there have been signs that numbers may be stabilising. Compared with Regular Armed Forces personnel, Reservists generally have a more limited breadth of experience and may also be less physically fit. The performance of Reservists on operations is enhanced when they are trained, mobilised and integrated properly with the unit with which they will serve. However, many Reservists do not have the opportunity to train alongside their Regular counterparts before they are mobilised. The Department has had difficulty in providing training for Reservists due to problems in scheduling, resource constraints and the lower priority they are given. The Department has made improvements to the support it gives to Reservists and their families, especially when they are mobilised, and to those suffering mental health problems. But further provisions need to be made, particularly for those Reservists who have been physically injured. Overall, whilst the Department is heavily reliant on its Reserve Forces to conduct operations, they are not being treated with sufficient priority with respect to their training and support. Significant parts of the Reserve Forces are being restructured and undergoing other changes but the Department is making decisions on these changes in the absence of reliable management information about the cost and capability of Reserve Forces.
On the basis of a Report from the Comptroller and Auditor General,[1] we took evidence from the Department on four main issues: deploying Reserves; providing support and healthcare to Reserves; maintaining capable Reserve Forces and planning for the future use of Reserves.
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