A new bill being proposed in the UK could send 65-year-old veterans into combat if passed by leaders in Parliament.
Under a portion of the Armed Forces bill, the British government could expand the age at which Strategic Reserve personnel, the country’s pool of retired soldiers, could be called back to active duty from 55 to 65.
If approved, the change would mobilize more than 10,000 veterans to prepare for war. Military recruitment numbers in the UK have declined in recent years, scaling down to their smallest amount in more than two centuries. According to The Telegraph, Britain’s force of fully-trained, active-duty troops has dwindled down to just over 70,000.
Per current regulations, soldiers in the Strategic Reserve pool can be summoned for duty if the government feels “national danger, great emergency or attack in the UK” is imminent. But the new guidelines could lower the mandate to “warlike preparations,” which is currently the rule for reservists having recently left the British military.
Threat of War on the Horizon
What’s the catalyst for the proposed rule changes? British officials harbor growing concerns that the UK could be pulled into a war with Russia in the coming years. UK defense and security chiefs have been warning residents of the possibility of a large-scale conflict for the past few months.
Al Carns, Britain’s Armed Forces minister, raised eyebrows days before Christmas, saying, “war is already knocking on Europe’s door.” Carns warned that UK forces must be ready for a war “bigger” than the decades-long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Last week, British government officials said the UK would be sending troops to Ukraine, to partner with France, “if and when” a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia is agreed upon. While exact numbers are still being determined, as many as 7,500 British troops could be called to action.
However, military analysts believe that many troops being sent to Ukraine would diminish an already shrinking Armed Forces in the UK. That warning prompted the Ministry of Defence to push back on the rumors of 7,500 soldiers being deployed, stating the actual amount could be lower.
Policies in Other Nations
In the U.S., most branches don’t allow people to join the military past age 41 or 42. In the Army, the age limit is 35; 28 in the Marine Corps. In World War II, however, with the need for fresh bodies, many soldiers were older, like 50-year-old Marine Corps recruit Paul Douglas.
While former troops can be called up to duty in very rare cases, such as a national emergency, the likelihood of soldiers in their fifties and sixties fighting in combat is unlikely. For most branches, when an officer reaches age 60 or 62, they are forced into mandatory retirement.
In Canada, citizens can join the Reserves up to age 52.
Budget Shortfall Looms Large
Last week, the UK government proposed spending £200m ($267,580,000 in U.S. dollars) to revamp armored vehicles and purchase new equipment for the Ukraine deployment. However, the package still has to be passed by Parliament.
An estimated 95,000 veterans make up the Strategic Reserve from the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force (RAF). This reserve unit differs from Britain’s Reserve Force, made up of part-time volunteers. The UK has about 32,000 active reservists in its three military branches.
In recent years, full-time recruitment in the British Army has declined from more than 100,000 troops in 2010 to slightly more than 70,000. Recent data, however, points to a very small increase in numbers.
Besides recruiting concerns, the British Armed Forces are struggling with a large budget shortfall over the next few years despite efforts to increase military spending.
Defense leaders have made it clear to Parliament that the Armed Forces “will not be able to do everything that we would wish to do as quickly as we might want to do it,” under the current budget.
The wrangling over funds comes on the heels of a government report released last year warning Britain would not be adequately equipped to defend itself during an attack. Based on global defense spending, the UK sits at No. 12 among NATO’s largest military spenders when factoring in GDP. The country ranked third as recently as 2021.
While the defense spending is projected to rise in the UK in the coming years, it might not be quick enough to prevent short-term losses. The British military could have to make large personnel and program cuts to balance the budget, making the nation’s security even more vulnerable.
