Army reservists are to be sent to defend the Falklands, ministers announced today.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond signalled that far more TA soldiers will be deployed to the islands in the future.
Announcing the biggest shake-up of the military reserve since the Second World War, he said: “Reserve forces will be expected to fulfil new roles... including contributing to standing commitments such as the Falklands.”
The move sparked an immediate backlash. Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a former Army officer, said: “The Falklands need to be defended by regular soldiers, sailors and airmen. Anything else sends the wrong message to the Argentinian aggressor.”
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said: “Nothing must be done to downgrade our commitment to the Falkland Islands.”
A company of 100 to 150 soldiers, currently from 16th Air Assault Brigade, is based in the Falklands on a two-month tour as part of an Army force of about 400 which also includes engineers, HQ staff and air defence crews.
On a few occasions the company has been a TA unit, but traditionally it is made up of regular forces. Small groups of reservists or individuals are also sent to the South Atlantic.
But in future, the Army company will more often be from the Reserve which is part of an overall military force of 2,500 to 3,000.
A military source said: “It’s nonsense to suggest that the deployment of reserves to the Falklands will increase the risk to the islands. It’s an insult to the reserves who put their lives on the line serving in Afghanistan and other operations around the world.”
The TA is being renamed the Army Reserve and Mr Hammond is proposing doubling its size to 30,000 as the regular force is cut from just over 100,000 to 82,000. He has published a Green Paper including proposals to increase the number of training days for reservists from 35 to 40 a year and give more notice of mobilisations.
