Great Britain: National Audit Office
Published: 2006-03-31
Total Pages: 77
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Reserve Forces mainly consist of approximately 36,000 Volunteer Reserves, and some 52,000 Regular Reserves (former Regular service personnel who retain a liability to be called up). They are an integral and vital part of the United Kingdom's defence capability, making up some 11 per cent of the Iraq Operation TELIC manpower since 2003, for example. But the Ministry of Defence (the Department) faces a number of challenges in sustaining the future use of the Reserve Forces. All of the Volunteer Reserves are below strength, with the highest manning levels, at December 2005, in the Territorial Army at 81 per cent of current requirement. There are difficulties in providing training for Reservists, caused by problems with scheduling, resource constraints and the lower priority they are given. Turnover is high: many Reservists cite personal, family and employment pressures as reasons for leaving, but also reasons such as "inadequate support" and "no longer a challenge". The Department is not yet in a strong position to judge the cost-effectiveness of Reserve Forces: the NAO estimates the total cost of the Reserves as £440 million, implying that the approximate cost of a member of the Territorial Army, for example, is some £10,000 a year when not deployed, compared with a cost of £55,000 a year for a soldier in the Regular Army. The costs for Reserves are not full costs, so should be treated with care, but the comparison suggests that the use of Reserves is a cost-effective option where that use does not impact adversely on their availability for future requirements or on Reservists, their families and employers. The NAO makes thirteen recommendations concerning recruitment, training, costs, performance, retention, and welfare and support services.