Real-life Dad's Army: Veterans aged 65 face call up and told 'prepare for war'
British military veterans up to the age of 65 face being mobilised under new powers to step up the nation’s readiness for war.
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The Government is set to increase the age at which Britain’s strategic reserve of retired troops can be called up from 55 to 65.
The new Armed Forces bill will be introduced to Parliament with the aim of making it easier to mobilise retired military personnel.
Under existing rules, the pool of retired soldiers can be called upon in the event of “national danger, great emergency or attack in the UK” however the new law will lower this threshold to “warlike preparations” which is the existing threshold for reservists who have recently left the armed forces.
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The changes will come into force next year, if passed by parliament.
The government estimates that there are around 95,000 members of the strategic reserve including veterans from the Royal Navy, Army, and RAF.
The Army currently has just over 70,000 full-time fully trained troops ready for battle.