MoD ‘doesn’t know’ where 95,000 reserve soldiers are

The whereabouts of thousands of military veterans who would be called to service if the UK entered a conflict are currently unknown.

Former NATO chief George Robertson said the Ministry of defense doesn’t know where ‘most’ of the estimated 95,000 soldiers and officers are.

‘What the review talks about is having the strategic reserve, that is, all of the people in this room who’ve been in the forces who have got a continuing obligation,’ he said.

‘But the Ministry of defense at the present moment doesn’t even know where most of them are. So we need to sort of round up those who are available and fit and willing to be able to do it.’

Military law states that all former veterans – including officers, regular and reserve – can be called back to the military during their lives.

Currently, the MoD keeps track of veterans’ whereabouts through annual reporting letters, sent on the anniversary of their discharge.

But records for a large part of the military who left the service more than six years ago are not updated, leaving the whereabouts of thousands unknown.

A MoD spokesperson told Metro: ‘We recognize the importance of the Strategic Reserve, which is why we are delivering on the Strategic defense Review through our Armed Forces Bill.

‘The Bill will expand our pool of Reserves by increasing the maximum age limit for recall, enabling seamless transfer between regular and reserve forces and giving the defense Secretary power to authorise recall for warlike operations.

‘We are also constantly improving our data and communicating with our Strategic Reserve community to mobilise talent rapidly when it matters most.’

The UK does have manpower, but worries about preparedness in case of the worst possible scenario are increasing.

Out of a population of more than 68,000,000, only 25,074,962 Brits are fit for service in the military. Currently, around 184,000 are serving actively.

In April last year, active servicemen in the British Army fell to the lowest number since 1793 at just under 74,000 soldiers.

Some 32,000 are serving in the Royal Navy and Marines, with around 30,000 in the Royal Air Force, The Week reported.

In another damning report, a simulation of a European war showed that the British Army would run out of ammunition in only ten days.

Dr Robert Johnson of Oxford University mentioned in the report that the UK is still falling short of its ‘claimed leadership position’.

He said the UK ‘simply does not have the mass, let alone the munitions, at the moment to do the job’ of helping to defend Europe and NATO.

Despite this, the UK ranks sixth overall in the global ranking – 15th for airpower, 31st in fleet strength and 55th for land power behind Nato members Germany, Spain, Poland and Romania.

This year, MPs also slammed the MoD’s procurement processes, saying the slow delivery of new systems caused gaps in military capability.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.

For more stories like this, check our news page.