Volunteer Reservists across the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force completed more than 1.17 million service days in the last financial year, according to Ministry of Defence data.
The figures, released in response to Parliamentary Questions from James Cartlidge MP, show that in 2024/25 Volunteer Reserves undertook 1,178,523 service days across training nights and annual camps. This represented a slight decrease on the 1,339,437 days recorded in 2023/24.
The breakdown shows:
- Navy: 107,956 days
- Army: 928,755 days
- RAF: 141,812 days
Spending on reserve pay in 2024/25 amounted to £135.3 million, with a further £32.9 million allocated for bounty payments. In total, almost 18,724 reservists received an annual bounty during the year, the majority of them Army personnel.
Alistair Carns, Minister for Veterans and People, said in his covering letter: “Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge the unique contribution our Reserve Forces make to Defence. They help the UK Armed Forces meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that we need, in a cost-effective way.”
The data also shows the Army continues to account for the majority of reserve activity. For 2024/25, 13,289 Army reservists undertook more than 27 service days, compared to 1,566 in the Navy and 2,119 in the RAF.
Carns added that the government remained committed to implementing recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review, including “delivering a range of measures to increase the numbers of the Active Reserve by 20%, when funding allows.” He also confirmed that work was under way to reinvigorate the Strategic Reserve, referring to it as a “key capability during the Cold War.”
The report indicates that while participation levels remain strong, workforce and financial pressures continue to shape the balance of activity across the three services.
A “Strategic Reserve” now is it?
Saw a very interesting slide on the future ORBAT of the Army.
All this will no doubt be discussed with Dern and others in due course, but, the Reserve element listed –
A Standing Joint Command.
Includes 2 Reserve Light Brigades.
A Strategic Reserve.
And “Reserve Support Elements.”
The 2 Light Brigades will be “structured to train as they will fight”
This can only mean big changes coming to 19 Brigade, which is currently an unwieldy “Golfbag” of all Reserve Infantry Battalions.
The “Reserve Support Elements” I assume means Reserve CS and CSS formations? This is curious as to why they are listed in their own section, as Reserve RAMS, REME, RLC, and RE and RA are vital components of regular Brigades and Groups, without which some would look even more threadbare than they already are.
They don’t directly support their Infantry Reserve in stand alone formations.
So will they now?
The “Strategic Reserve” I’ve no idea what that is now. The only Strategic Reserve I was ever aware of was a Cold War Reserve of kit, including Green Goddess Fire Engines and, reputedly, Steam Engines.
Stop it now.
It’ll ruin your weekend !😁
Do you think in a decade or so we will have Drone Reserves DM ?
(sorry, feeling rather mischievous today).
Stop what? I’m in my element here talking orbat!
Well OK, just don’t over do it, You’ll bust a blood vessel ! 😂
Thank you for your concern mate.
Hi Daniele, my understanding is that we have 3 types of people: Regulars; Reservists (or Volunteer Reserves to use even newer parlance); and Strategic Reservists (formerly known by the slightly confusing moniker of Regular Reservists).
Strategic Reservists are ex-Regulars still with a reserve liability.
Hi Graham.
Ahhh, the Regular Reserve. Thanks, makes sense.
I’d read there was hope that valuable resource might be given greater priority.
I remember over one year ago finding some information which seemed to suggest there was around 20,000 ex regs (Army) Lot less than there used to be, but still very handy to have, if organised properly.
This shows what good VfM our Reserves are. Just hope that there is a full suite of equipment for them all (including Strat Reservists) – uniform, weapon, webbing etc, black bag kit, vehicles, radios….the whole 9 yards.
We know there isn’t mate.
The Reserves allocation of bigger items of kit, from Artillery to Armoured vehicles, is minimal to non existent depending on unit type.
I’d hope at least there is enough of the individual items you list.
B Vehicles, no idea.
For the Regular Reserve, Strategic Reserve, who knows.
Again, I doubt, sadly.
Is it? Service days are not days deployed or having operational effect, it’s just days spend training, and only 18,000 achieved the level required for a bounty across all three services. Given the Army Reserve on it’s own is 25,000, I’m not sure that’s a great VFM.
Hi Dern, By great VfM I meant a fair few soldiers on the books for relatively little outlay. Very true that the training stats could and should be a heck of a lot better.
Two Reserve light/light mech infantry brigades for RAS – supported by a Reserve CSS Brigade taken out of 101/102 who are hardly used anyway. Maybe even slap some light gun in there and create a Reserve Division!
And add the Yeomanry Light Cavalry.
The pieces are there. It is how that would affect the regular formations. As said, they form big chunks of 101, 102, and 104, as well as most of 2 Med.
And 4 Bde and DRSB rely on the Reserve as some idiot cut those Brigades regular CS CSS.
Not sure a Division is needed though. But, two proper Bdes, one each allocated to 1 and 3 Div?
I’m sceptical that they’d ever get the same allocation in kit to become true Reinforcing, 3rd manoeuvre Brigades.
Which each Division now lacks, being 2 Bdes strong plus a DRSB.
Light I can see, light Mech – where in earth did you get that ? Not a hope I’m afraid.
Currently no. That could be rectified with legacy equipment like Foxhound being passed down when it gets replaced.
TBH I’d like to see an Armoured Reserve Brigade on Warrior and 432, and a Mech Reserve Brigade on Foxhound, Panther and Mastiff by 2030, but that’s a big wishlist.
I thought Panther had long gone?
On AI role, you’ve got the 2 Bns who are allocated to 3 Div, who I assume get training on Warrior even if they lack their own vehicles currently.
That’s a nucleus at least.
Foxhound I read is going to 4, at least initially, if Boxer gets concentrated in 7.
After, it could get passed on.
Did you have such reserve Bdes in your orbat charts, compete with CS CSS?
I also read Brigades are losing organic CS CSS and it’s being held in 101 and 102.
The cynic in me again thinks, what a great way for Andover to hide the fact that 4 and DRSB have virtually no regular CS CSS allocated.
Moving pieces on the chessboard, reorging yet again, forming new Brigades on paper, but with no CS CSS uplift.
The 5 Reserve Infantry Battalions in 3 Div are in the BCR role, they’ll convert to Boxer when the Regular Battalions will and there’s no intention for them them to deploy formed (as I understand it) instead they’re to feed replacments into the Regular units as the Regulars are killed off.
Foxhound is supposed to be OOS in the next few years when LMP comes in, along with Mastiff and Panther. If 19 and whatever identity the new brigade is going to have are suppsoed to be able to fight, then cascading old OOS regular kit to them makes a degree of sense (assuming we don’t buy something cheap enough to equip the AR and Regular units the same).
Re Reserve Bde’s yes I always include them. But if they get CS and CSS depends on how I’m shuffling stuff around.
101 and 102, swings and round abouts, they often move CSS in and out of the fighting brigades into the Log brigades and out again, just depends on what the flavour of the month is in terms of command authrority.
No wonder Reserve Days are down. Many units have been ordered to restrict the number of days their reservists are allowed to do. Some were stopped from training once they’d reached their 27 days. And in this year, training days aren’t be allocated to people deemed to be Long Term Non-Attenders, so even fewer days available to reallocate elsewhere. We risk losing our regular attenders if we start restricting their days too far!