Britain could begin mobilising reservists as old as 65 within the next 12 months as global security threats grow, military experts have warned, amid rising tensions with Russia, Iran and growing uncertainty over the future direction of the United States under President Donald Trump.
The Government has announced plans to strengthen the nation’s military reserves by raising the maximum age for members of the Strategic Reserve from 55 to 65 and lowering the legal threshold for mobilisation from “national danger or attack on the UK” to “warlike preparations”.
The reforms would allow tens of thousands of former Armed Forces personnel to be called back into service more quickly, in what the Ministry of Defence describes as a lesson learned from Ukraine’s “whole‑of‑society” response to Russia’s invasion.
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Former Army Colonel Hamish de Bretton‑Gordon said the move was designed to deter adversaries and prevent a wider conflict from breaking out.
“If there is no peace in Ukraine and Russia makes further advances, the risk of a Nato Article 5 incident creating direct conflict with Russia could happen within months or the next year,” he said.
“Being able to mobilise tens of thousands of reservists quickly is a powerful signal.”
He added that Britain’s regular Army of about 72,000 troops was no longer large enough to meet modern threats, and that experienced veterans could free up frontline soldiers by filling specialist roles in engineering, cyber security, intelligence, medicine and communications.
Veteran pilots could return to fly transport aircraft, while former intelligence officers could provide vital operational support, he said.
“The depth of experience older reservists bring is invaluable. It would be bonkers not to use it.”
However, former head of the British Army, General Lord Dannatt, criticised the reforms, calling them “window dressing” that would not truly increase Britain’s fighting capability.
“To bring people back between 60 and 65, you are not going to get many frontline infantry soldiers,” he said.
“If we are serious about defence, we must increase the size of the regular Armed Forces and invest properly in younger reservists.”
Dannatt warned that the military no longer has a reliable system for tracking former service personnel, meaning commanders often do not know where ex‑soldiers, sailors and airmen are.
Another former army chief, General Sir Patrick Sanders, has previously warned that a conflict with Russia by 2030 is a “realistic possibility”.
Under the new plans, Britain’s Strategic Reserve of around 95,000 personnel would play a central role. In 2024, more than one in five British troops training Ukrainian forces were reservists.
Reuters reported that the Government confirmed the changes on Thursday, saying Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and pressure grows for Nato allies to strengthen their defences.
The reforms are expected to come into force from spring 2027, though defence analysts say they are mainly intended for extreme scenarios.
Matthew Savill of the Royal United Services Institute said:
“Mobilising 65‑year‑old reservists is a measure for the most serious situations, but it shows the Government is now planning for resilience in wartime.”
As tensions rise across Europe and the Middle East, Britain is preparing for a future where experience, not just youth, could be called upon to defend the nation.
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