The British government is set to increase the age at which the nation’s pool of retired soldiers, known as the strategic reserve, can be called upon, from 55 to 65, The Telegraph reported on Jan. 15. The new measures are being introduced as part of a new Armed Forces bill, which will be published in Parliament later. The changes, it is said, will make it easier to mobilize tens of thousands of former military personnel. Not said is that the older a particular cohort of manpower is, the greater the likelihood of health problems among them that will make them unfit for service.
The context for the proposal is the incredible shrinking British Army, which, at just over 70,000 troops, is the smallest it has been since the post-Napoleonic era. Under existing rules, The Telegraph continues, the pool of retired soldiers can be called upon in the event of “national danger, great emergency or attack in the UK.” However, under the new changes, this will be lowered to “warlike preparations,” which is already the threshold for reservists who have recently left the Armed Forces.