British Army to stage largest reservist mobilisation in 20 years

The British army is preparing special exercises involving thousands of reservists. It is expected to be the largest mass mobilisation in 20 years. The British military wants to assess "deployment readiness." - TThat is not to say we are going to war, this is an exercise - reassures a source from "Daily Mail" headquarters.

Military commanders are planning the largest mass mobilisation of British reservists in 20 years to assess the "deployment readiness" of over 10,000 "weekend warriors" - reports the "Daily Mail" newspaper portal.

The article's authors noted that this move occurred when the head of the British army, General Patrick Sanders, emphasised that the United Kingdom should take steps to prepare society for a potential conflict following Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

"While there is no suggestion that the call-up of 'weekend warriors' is linked to the war in Ukraine, General Sanders has been very clear about the growing threat facing the West from Russia," the newspaper notes.

Senior officers from the army headquarters in Andover will be coordinating the exercises in September to assess how many reservists would voluntarily report for duty during mobilisation.

The newspaper notes that the British reserves currently number over 26,000 soldiers, nearly 5% less than last year. A source from the headquarters told the newspaper that the actions are aimed at determining how many people would be ready to join the army and for how long.

-These will be the first large-scale mobilization exercises since the Iraq War over twenty years ago, so it is vital to assess what the reserves can offer the army in case of need, the "Daily Mail" source emphasized. The source noted that this "does not mean we are going to war; these are exercises."

The source added that if these people are called up, most will be asked to supplement the regular army so professional soldiers can be deployed. The article's authors also drew attention to the military's problems, such as soldiers' health.

"In February 2024, the Ministry of Defence revealed that 9,263 soldiers are medically nondeployable and a further 7,669 are 'limited deployable' - leaving the operational strength to fight a war at just 57,890." it reads.

A few years ago, the size of the United Kingdom's regular army was reduced from 82,500 to 73,000 soldiers. Currently, the army serves 75,000 soldiers, but this number is expected to be reduced by 2025. "Many experts argue that the army is too small to conduct another Falkland Islands war or a similar mission" was written.