Interested in Joining Up?
Men and women are drawn from all walks of life and a wide range of professions, skills and trades. They live life to the full, they're dedicated team players and they're detetmined to succeed.
In times of war, conflict, national emergency or natural disaster, the UK has always depended upon the RF as an integral part of its armed forces. Now its role is more important than ever.
Interested in becoming part of the team?
Want more information on the Reserve Forces?
For more details, choose from
The Reserves offer well paid, part time careers in a large variety of occupations - for example the Territorial Army has over 100 trades with full training to enable you to become a vital part of the British Army.
Your training in the Reserves will give you:
- confidence
- fitness
- challenge
- excitement
- lots of adventure
The Call to Action
The 1998 Strategic Defence Review set out a fundamental change in the planned use of the Reserves in support of the United Kingdom's defence interests. As a trained member of the RF you are liable to call-out under the Reserve Forces Act 1996. This is designed to help the Volunteer Forces operate readily alongside the Regular Forces.
Deployment is usuallly preceded by a period of thorough training. Training prepares volunteers for the specific operation, whether a humanitarian or peacekeeping task or combat operations such as the Gulf War. In the event of call-out, some volunteers and their employers have the right to seek exemption or deferral under certain circumstances.
Responding to Change
Although the UK is not currently exposed to the threat of an invasion by a hostile force, nevertheless, the security of our nation, the protection of interests abroad and our commitment to NATO's Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Force depend on maintaining the quality and capability of our RF - whenever and wherever they are needed. The Reserve Forces now reflect these needs and are more fully integrated into our armed forces than ever.
To be effective in times of conflict and emergency, modern armed forces rely on a diversity of skills - for example, there is now more emphasis on logistics, medical support, communications and IT. Maintaining a state of readiness for any situation demands commitment right across the organisation. Since both affect the quality or morale, the RF set the highest standards at every level of activity.
Skills are taught and perfected through training programmes. This is absolutely essential since volunteers have less time to prepare than regulars do. Training is structured to help you make every minute count. But training is a two-way process and there are high expectations of all recruits. Because of this, great emphasis is placed on the right training for you as an individual - this can give you the opportunity to build a portfolio of skills that is valued by the Reserve Forces - and your employer. These skills reflect both character development and practical abilities.
Does this sound like hard work?
It is - but it's also great fun, which helps build discipline for teamwork, can prove satisfying and rewarding when training with a squad. Basic training is done alongside regular recruits and covers weaponry, fieldcraft and other essential skills.
Effective decision making and reliable communications are also prerequisites for rapid reaction to any situation. Logistics, telecommunications, intelligence and, of course, medical services are vital for supporting the forward area of battle.
