British army plans largest reservist mobilization in two decades

The British army is preparing special exercises involving thousands of reservists. It is expected to be the largest mass mobilization in 20 years. The British military wants to assess "deployment readiness." "That 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 most significant mass mobilization of British reservists in 20 years to assess the "readiness for deployment" 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, emphasized 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 coordinate the September exercises to assess how many reservists will voluntarily report for duty during mobilization.

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 aimed to determine 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 20 years ago, so it is important to assess what the reserves can offer the army in case of need," the "Daily Mail" source emphasized, noting 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 highlighted 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," it was written.