Some veterans to be called up to test UK's resilience for war

Key Points:

• The UK government will conduct a major military exercise in 2027 involving the mobilisation of veterans from the strategic reserve to test the country's resilience in the event of war, marking a significant scale of challenge for the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• The strategic reserve, comprising approximately 95,000 retired regular and reserve officers, will be actively engaged as part of a new plan to better utilise this force amid concerns over military workforce retention.
• Recent changes include raising the age limit for the strategic reserve from 55 to 65 and lowering the threshold for calling them into service, addressing previous criticisms about the lack of an effective system to engage retired personnel.
• Alongside the military exercise, the government plans a public awareness campaign to improve emergency preparedness, encouraging measures such as stockpiling essentials in response to threats like extreme weather and cyber attacks.
• Armed forces minister Louise Sandher-Jones emphasized the importance of youth involvement in defence readiness, highlighting initiatives like a new military "gap year" program and expanded cadet schemes to support young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs).