Defence Reform Act 2014 Explanatory Notes

Section 44: Renaming of Army Reserve and Territorial Army

146.The armed forces include both regular forces (the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the regular army and the Royal Air Force) and reserve forces. The reserve forces include both ex-regular reserve forces (the Royal Fleet Reserve, the Army Reserve and the Royal Air Force Reserve) and volunteer reserve forces (the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Marines Reserve, the Territorial Army, and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force). Broadly speaking, the regular forces are full-time service personnel in permanent service; the volunteer reserve forces are civilians who accept an annual training commitment and a liability to be called out for permanent service; and the ex-regular reserve forces are ex-regular forces personnel who, on leaving the regular forces, retain a liability to be called out for permanent service.

147.Section 44(1) changes the name of the Army’s ex-regular reserve force from the Army Reserve to the Regular Reserve. Section 44(2) changes the name of the Army’s volunteer reserve force from the Territorial Army to the Army Reserve. Section 44(3) to (5) make consequential provision with respect to references to these forces in legislation and other documents.

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