TA Overhaul: Army Reservists Given Benefits

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Army reservists will receive military pensions and healthcare support as part of a major drive to increase numbers.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond unveiled a £1.8bn overhaul in the Commons aimed at boosting reserve numbers to 30,000 by 2018.

Under the plans, the Territorial Army will become the Army Reserve, with members given 10% more training and better equipment.

Smaller firms employing part-time soldiers will also receive an extra £500 a month when they are away and be given more notice about training and deployments.

Companies discriminating against people wanting to serve will also be more at risk of being sued, with possible new laws to ensure there is no disadvantage.

The package, outlined in the Reserve White Paper, is expected to cost around £1.8bn over the next decade with a £40m investment in kit brought forward.

Philip Hammond says employers will benefit from the changes

It comes nearly three years after the coalition said it would be reducing regular Army numbers from 100,000 to 80,000.

Mr Hammond told MPs the changes were "key" to making sure that Britain has the military capability it needs in the future.

"The job we are asking our reservists to do is changing. The way we organise and train them will also have to change," he said.

Chief of the General Staff Sir Peter Wall told reporters at a briefing earlier that the reforms were "welcome and timely".

"The Territorial Army, as it has been called until now ... is ready for change. It has been waiting for this filip to its vibrance for some years now," he said.

The TA name was felt by senior military officers to have a Dad's Army connotation which would not suit the new, more integral organisation.

As part of the changes, 36 TA centres will be "vacated" - although this is far less than the 88 initially predicted - and used for other purposes.

A total of £80m will be spent refurbishing the remaining centres, with 68 major units for the reserve force.

Speaking to Sky News before his statement, Mr Hammond promised to listen to the concerns and views of businesses to ensure their co-operation.

Neil Carberry, the Confederation of British Industry's director of employment and skills, said small businesses were willing to work with the MoD, but fear being told what to do.

"What we want to see is not a 'thou shalt do this' when you employ a reservist from the MoD, but rather a 'let us tell you how we can work together' to make employing a reservist a really enjoyable experience," he said.

The total reserve force, made up of all three services, currently stands at around 22,000, of which around 19,000 are in the Army.

The aim is to expand it to 35,000 members, with 30,000 in the Army and a major marketing drive has been launched with recent adverts broadcast live from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.

Sir Peter Wall admitted recruitment would be a challenge, but expressed confidence it would be achieved.

"We need to remember that historically we had a big reserve and when I joined the Army a few decades ago it was over 100,000 in the reserve," he told Sky News.

"We also need to remember that other nations make far more use of reserve manpower than we do, particularly the American army."

The Army Reserve will train alongside the regular troops and go on more overseas exercises.

Sergeant Gary Shepard, a lorry driver and a member of the Army Reserve, did not foresee a problem with a closer working relationship.

"I'm actually an ex-regular soldier, but when I joined 1 Para we integrated very easily and within a few weeks they actually forgot we were part-time," he told Sky News.

"What we do is 'beat-up' training prior to going and joining them (the regulars) so that we're on the same level as they are." 

The restructuring comes as the regular Army is being slashed to 82,000 troops - the lowest level for more than a century.

The Ministry of Defence escaped the worst of the budget cuts in last week's Spending Review but is still undergoing a major restructuring following the Strategic Defence and Security Review a few years ago.

There will be a fourth and final round of redundancies early next year which will largely affect the Army.

Dan Jarvis, a former soldier and now a Labour MP, has his doubts. He said: "Let's be clear, these decisions are being made not about capability, but about saving money.

"The Government has considerable challenges ahead to recruit the number of reservists it needs.

"We accept and understand that changes do have to be made, but it will be a difficult a process to make all those changes happen smoothly and effectively."

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