Army pleads for reservists to mull year-long career breaks to fill specialist vacancies

The service is 4,000 soldiers under-strength despite recruitment campaigns. A failure to retain existing troops and attract new ones is, sources say,  putting operational capability at risk.

While some vacancies are listed for 12 months, others demand two years – which would require many to leave their day jobs altogether.

Several posts also require an additional six months “pre deployment training” period. 

More than 990 reservist majors and colonels are needed just to support Operational Commitments stretching from Estonia to Somalia.

Reservists who answer the call will sign up to the regular Full Time Reserve Service contracts, giving them the same status as full-time soldiers.

In his book ‘Britain in a Perilous World’ former Iraq commander Major General Jonathan Shaw said: “A force that is an integral part of the deployed force can no longer be called a Reserve force  – it is already committed”.

Last night senior sources at Marlborough Barracks, Hampshire, said that reserves currently make up more than 25 pr cent  of the staff in Army Headquarters.

“We have for many years taken on a small number of reservists into full time contracts but the current list is exceptionally large,“ said a senior officer. 

“The problem is reservists serve for a year, sometime more, and then go back to their civilian jobs so we have very little continuity and are constantly re-training people.”

The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review saw the number of regular Army soldiers cut from 113,000 to 82,000. 

However, the target of recruiting more 30,000 trained reservists across all the branches of the Armed Forces by 2018 has been met. 

Referring to the 2010 SDSR, the officer added:  “Those cuts undermine the sense of stability a career in the Armed Forces used to offer.

“Add to the fact that we have not drawn down from Afghanistan, and it’s little wonder recruitment has dried up. 

“The chickens are rather coming home to roost.”