Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Army Reserve: Recruitment and Retention

Monday 21 February 2022 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Adam Holloway asked about the priorities for reserve officers in the Army Reserve regarding deployment opportunities.
  • The minister acknowledged that reserve officers seek to deploy in formed units and agreed that this is important.
  • The minister stated that the future soldier programme supports deployment opportunities for individuals, including both officers and enlisted personnel.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Adam Holloway Con
Defence
Context

The MP is concerned about the future soldier programme's prioritisation of individual augmentation over formed units for overseas deployments.

Question

Does my hon. Friend accept that reserve officers join in order to have opportunities to deploy and train, commanding in formed units? Why does the future soldier narrative prioritise individual augmentation over deploying formed bodies for overseas roles short of all-out war?

Answer from Leo Docherty

I agree with my hon. Friend that reserve officers seek to deploy in formed units, and we are in agreement with that. That is why it is in black and white in the future soldier programme. We should not deny the opportunity for individuals, whether they are officers or enlisted people, to deploy on operations or training to gain valuable experience.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The prioritisation of individual augmentation over deploying formed units was not addressed directly.

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