Members of the armed forces participated in an Armistice Day ceremony at the Cenotaph last November. (Photo: CFP)
Britain has announced it will strengthen its military reserve forces by raising the maximum age at which former personnel could be called up by a decade to 65.
European countries, including France and Germany, have taken steps to boost their reserves in response to Russia's military operation in Ukraine and the United States' insistence that Europe take more responsibility for its own security.
Britain also said it would lower the threshold for which former personnel could be called upon to include "warlike preparations". Currently they can only be called upon for "national danger, great emergency or attack on the UK".
"These reforms will allow us to mobilize that talent rapidly when it matters most, strengthening our readiness and aligning with a similar approach many NATO forces are taking," said Paul Griffiths, the general leading the British effort.
The changes are expected to come into force from spring 2027.
The UK government says there are currently around 95,000 members of the strategic reserve including veterans from the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force.
The plan has drawn comparisons with the revered long-running 1970s UK television comedy show Dad's Army, based on the British Home Guard that were recruited during the Second World War when there were fears that Britain could be invaded by Germany.