Some veterans to be called up to test UK's war resilience
The UK government plans to mobilize retired military personnel as part of a 2027 exercise to test national war resilience. This initiative addresses concerns regarding workforce retention and the need to improve military readiness.
Why it matters
It highlights the UK's strategic shift toward utilizing a larger reserve force amid global security tensions and recruitment challenges.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The UK is under pressure to spend more on defence and improve its readiness
Some veterans will be mobilised as part of a major exercise next year testing the UK's resilience for war.
The government exercise will challenge the Ministry of Defence (MoD) "on a scale that we haven't seen for a very long time" on its reaction in the event of a conflict, armed forces minister Louise Sandher-Jones said.
The drill will involve an as-yet unspecified number of the British military's strategic reserve, which has an estimated 95,000 retired regular and reserve officers.
It forms part of a plan by the MoD for a "real step change" to use the strategic reserve more, following warnings of a workforce retention crisis .
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