Whats our reserve????
On the 23rd February Parliament set the maximum numbers of personnel to be maintained for service with the Armed Forces during the year ending 31st March 2011. The figures break down accordingly:
Service.................Regular....Reserves....Total
Navy/Marines.......42,550.....19,205......61,755
Army...................124,030....97,355......221,385
Air Force..............47,400.....13,680......61,080
The total combined number of Armed Forces personnel expected to be in service during the financial year ending 2011 stands at 344,020.
A number of observations can be made from these figures. In terms of the regular Armed Forces, the combined total represents an extremely modest increase in personnel compared to the previous year. By 2011, it is anticipated that 213,980 regular personnel will be serving in the Armed Forces, compared with 212,430 in 2010.
By comparison, the number of reserves anticipated to be serving with the Armed Forces is much more alarming. The combined total of reserves anticipated to be in service for the year ending 2011 is 130,240. This figure represents a continuation of the decline of reserves since the beginning of the 21st Century. According to The Military Balance, the number of reserves within the Armed Forces throughout the decade was:
Year......Total
2000......302,850
2001......247,100
2002......256,750
2003......272,550
2004......272,550
2005......272,550
2006......241,520
2007......199,280
2008......199,280
2009......199,280
Th key messages is that the reserves have played a significant part in operations in the not-so-distant past and will continue to do so in the future.
Whilst the Ministry of Defence may dispute The Military Balance’s figures, the declining number of reserves is likely to impact on the scope of all future operations, including the regular Armed Forces.
So are we actually in good shape??????.............God forbid the Falklands gets messy again...however I feel that is a long way off despite the sabre rattling.
Figures Courtesy of Robin Ashby Director General of the UK Defence Forum
3 comments:
That is very worrying I must say, as a reservist myself.
My instinct is that if it was possible to look "inside" these figures so see what was actually there in terms of capability it would be seen that the situation is bad and worsening.
It's a question of motivation.
Soldiers fight for their country. Fighting for political carpet baggers adds the taint of mercenary to their efforts.
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