"The Reserve Forces provided a fifth of the UK force in Iraq and an eighth of the force in Afghanistan. Yet the Government are failing to provide the necessary training and support to ensure they are able to work to the standard of Regular Armed Forces personnel who generally have more experience and may also be more physically fit.
Several of my constituents have and are serving in theatre in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am full of admiration for the remarkable personal sacrifices they make to serve their country. I have raised concerns about the way they are paid, trained, housed and looked after on their return. Given the extent of our active military commitments at present increasing pressure is being placed on reservists to undertake longer tours than was recommended or than they expected when they signed up.
I met a reservist last month who is doing an 8 month tour in Afghanistan - very difficult for both the individual and an employer to sustain. The Government knows it relies heavily on our reserve forces to keep units up to strength. It should be doing more to support reservists rather than finding this as an area for short-term savings.
It is no surprise that there is an increasing shortage of reserve troops. All of the Volunteer Reserve Forces face large shortfalls in numbers from 16% in the Territorial Army to 36% in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. At a time when our forces are overstretched, this urgently needs addressing."
Mr Dunne was speaking as the Committee published its report which, on the basis of evidence from the Ministry of Defence, examined four main issues: deploying Reserves; providing support and healthcare to Reserves; maintaining capable Reserve Forces; and planning for the future use of Reserves.
The Reserve Forces have become an integral part of the United Kingdom's defence capability. Reserve Forces comprise approximately 36,000 Volunteer Reserves, the largest element being the Territorial Army, and some 52,000 Regular Reserves (former Regular service personnel who retain a liability to be called up). The Department has used Reserves at unprecedented levels in the last ten years with the Reserve Forces making an increasingly important contribution to Defence as the Regular Forces have become more stretched. It has also successfully changed the culture of the Volunteer Reserve Forces to one where Reservists now expect and want to serve on operations. Over 12,000 Reservists, most of them from the Volunteer Reserves, have served in Iraq since operations commenced in early 2003.
All of the Volunteer Reserve Forces are below strength and numbers have been falling, although there have been signs that numbers may be stabilising. Compared with Regular Armed Forces personnel, Reservists generally have a more limited breadth of experience and may also be less physically fit. The performance of Reservists on operations is enhanced when they are trained, mobilised and integrated properly with the unit with which they will serve. However, many Reservists do not have the opportunity to train alongside their Regular counterparts before they are mobilised. The Department has had difficulty in providing training for Reservists due to problems in scheduling, resource constraints and the lower priority they are given. The Department has made improvements to the support it gives to Reservists and their families, especially when they are mobilised, and to those suffering mental health problems. But further provisions need to be made, particularly for those Reservists who have been physically injured. Overall, whilst the Department is heavily reliant on its Reserve Forces to conduct operations, they are not being treated with sufficient priority with respect to their training and support. Significant parts of the Reserve Forces are being restructured and undergoing other changes but the Department is making decisions on these changes in the absence of reliable management information about the cost and capability of Reserve Forces.
