These are integral parts of Britain’s Armed Forces, and they are provided at a small fraction of the defence budget enabling the country to maintain an effective armed force without the need for conscription. This is economically valuable because a member of the Volunteer Reserve Forces does not need, in peace-time, the complex infrastructure of accommodation and full-time pay and allowances.

Although command and control of the Volunteer Reserves is provided by each of the Services, there is still a need to have some separate control of the policy at the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This tri-service function is carried out by the Directorate of Reserve Forces and Cadets.

The Royal Naval Reserve

The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) exists to provide trained men and women for seagoing and shore duties with the Royal Navy in time of war. Some of its members are professional seamen with the Merchant Navy; others are ordinary members of the public.

Today’s RNR dates back to 1958 when the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Naval Reserve were amalgamated, and the new organisation was placed under the command of Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command. The Women’s Royal Naval Reserve became fully integrated with the men’s service in 1976.

The role of the RNR is to provide individual seamen specialists capable of serving alongside their regular colleagues in ships of the fleet as well as provide a number of specialists. These include Fleet Air Arm, security and intelligence, engineers and public affairs specialists. The RNR medical branch, which includes members of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service (Reserve), also provides expertise for casualty evacuation.

Organisation

The RNR is based at various centres throughout the country and each of these has its own command structure, including a number of regular officers and ratings.

The Royal Marines Reserve

The Volunteers of the Royal Marines Reserve are trained to take on the same tasks as their regular colleagues. In time of war, individuals will take their places either within existing regular Corps units or as formed sub units.

In the first place, all Volunteers have to qualify as commandos and complete the rigorous Commando Training Course in order to qualify for their Green Berets. After that they can opt for a large number of specialisations. They may also be trained to operate in such climatic extremes as the Arctic or even in jungle conditions.

Organisation

The main RMR Centres are in London, Glasgow, Bristol, Birkenhead and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Each of these has a number of detachments nearby.

The Territorial Army

There is no longer a separate Territorial Army, there is just one Army, with the TA units dovetailing into the Army’s organisation and Order of Battle.

The role of the TA is to provide units and individuals to reinforce the Army, many of whose Brigades and Divisions have a proportion of both Regular and TA units.

Command of TA units is, however, the same as for Regular units, by way of Regimental or Battalion, Brigade, Divisional and District Headquarters. In addition the Directors of the various Arms and Services have the same responsibilities for the TA as there Regular units. At the Headquarters of Land Command, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief is also Inspector General of the TA.

Variety in the TA

There is as much variety in the TA as their is in the Regular Army, which provides a series of military functions, each represented by a Regiment or Corps. The Army is divided into Arms and Services. Arms consist of those units and soldiers who are actively involved in the fighting of any battle, and the Services are all the other Corps in the Army who provide, as their name would suggest, a service to the combat arms.

Although some Regiments or Corps may appear to be more glamorous than others, none of them will function effectively without the support of the whole. Just as a Regular Army Regiment or Corps has its special role, so does every TA unit.

The Arms

• Royal Armoured Corps, mainly the Yeomanry;
• Royal Regiment of Artillery;
• Corps of Royal Engineers;
• Royal Corps of Signals;
• Infantry;
• Army Air Corps;
• The Intelligence Corps.

The Services

• Royal Army Chaplains’ Department;
• Royal Logistic Corps;
• Army Medical Services;
• Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers;
• Adjutant General’s Corps, Staff and Personnel Support Branch;
• Adjutant General’s Corps, Provost Branch;

Types of TA Units

The most familiar type of unit is the "Independent". This will be found at the local Territorial Army Centre (formerly called Drill Hall). One or more Army units will be accommodated at the centre, varying in size from a platoon or troop (about 30 Volunteers) to a Battalion or Regiment (about 600 Volunteers). These units will have their place in the Order of Battle, and as with Regular Army units, are equipped for their role. Most of the personnel will be part-time Volunteers parade one evening each week and perhaps one weekend each month in addition to the annual two-week unit training period.

Some staff at each TA Centre will be regular soldiers. Many units have regular Commanding Officers, Regimental Sergeant Majors, Training Majors, Adjutants and Instructors. The Permanent Staff Instructors (PSIs) who are regular Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, are key personnel who help organise the training and administration of the Volunteers.

The other type of unit is the "Specialist". These are located centrally, usually at the Headquarters or Training Centre of the Arm or Corps. Their members, spread across the country, are mainly civilians who already have the necessary skills or specialities, and require a minimum of military training.

An example of these can be found in the Army Medical Services Specialist Units whose doctors, surgeons, nurses and technicians from all over the country meet at regular intervals, often in York, or at a training area at home or abroad. They are on the lowest commitment for training, which is the equivalent of just two weekends and a two week camp each year, or it can be even less for some medical categories.

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) comprises Maritime Headquarters Units, RAF Regiment Squadrons, an Air Movements Squadron, an Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Defence Force Flights at individual stations and HQ, and specialist units formerly part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve providing skills such as intelligence, photo interpretation and public relations.

With its origins going back to the City and County Auxiliary Flying Squadrons between the wars, the RAuxAF maintains its long tradition of being a truly "Citizen Air Force". Each major unit is identified in its title with the area where it is raised. Such local affiliations are important both to the units and the communities.

A distinguished person is appointed as Honorary Air Commodore to each unit to provide a valuable link with both community leaders and the higher echelons of the Royal Air Force.

The Maritime HQ Units provide operations, intelligence and communications teams. The RAuxAF Regiment Squadrons are at major RAF stations mostly committed to wartime ground defence, and they can be commanded by either a regular or a volunteer officer. Some Regular Air Defence Squadrons are being supplemented by Auxiliary cadres.

The Movements Squadron at RAF Brize Norton has a role to support the RAF Air Movements organisation. This independent unit’s eight Flights take their annual training in either the UK, Cyprus or Germany. During the recent Gulf Conflict most of the Squadron members responded to a call up and served full time for the duration.

The Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron based at RAF Lyneham is capable of deploying either as a complete unit or as six separate Flights. Annual training takes place on a worldwide basis, in keeping with the Squadron’s mobile role.