Army Reserve training review to stay behind closed doors

The findings of a review into how the Army Reserve delivers basic training will not be published, with no external stakeholders consulted and the planned closure of the reserve training barracks at Grantham sitting outside its scope, the Ministry of Defence has told Parliament.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Louise Sandher-Jones, set out the position on Thursday in a pair of written answers to the Conservative MP for Grantham and Bourne, Gareth Davies, who had asked who is leading the Army Reserve Basic Training Review, which external stakeholders are being consulted, and whether its recommendations would be published.

Sandher-Jones told him the review “has not been formally announced to Parliament as it is in internal MOD review”, commissioned by Headquarters Soldier Academy, the organisation responsible for all Army soldier basic training, which authorised the work “as part of continuous improvement activity”. The initial request for support was submitted in August 2024, before the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, with the review itself commencing in July 2025.

The review, she said, aims to assess whether the current Army Reserve basic training operating model, “covering how, who, and where training is delivered, is fit for purpose”, and to provide options aligned with the Army’s current and future Reserve requirements. Its scope takes in “unit and infrastructure laydown, training delivery model, workforce requirements, and administrative and logistic support” across all Soldier Academy basic training locations. “No external stakeholders are being consulted,” the minister confirmed.

On publication, “There is no requirement, or expectation, that the review’s findings or recommendations will be published,” Sandher-Jones said, adding that the terms of reference were “intended for an internal audience” and would not be released either.

The answer also closed off the question sitting behind the MP’s interest, with Sandher-Jones stating that the planned closure and disposal of Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham “will not be paused or reconsidered as part of this review, as estate disposal decisions are not in scope.” The barracks hosts Army Training Regiment Grantham, which has put Army Reserve recruits through their initial training for years, and Davies has been pressing ministers on how its closure squares with the government’s stated ambition to grow the Reserve.