DON'T PANIC!

It's the return of the real Dad's Army

- By Conor Wilson

WHEN former head of the Army General Sir Patrick Sanders warned in early 2024 that Britain should train a “citizen army” ready to fight a war on land, Downing Street was quick to shut him down. “Hypothetical scenarios” about potential future conflicts were “not helpful”, an official for No. 10 said.

One month later, Gen Sir Patrick’s boss, the Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin also refuted the idea of preparing soldiers for war. “No one in the Ministry of Defence is talking about conscription in any traditional sense of the term,” he said. “Britain is safe.”

What a difference two years makes. As the prospect of state on state warfare looms like a dark cloud, the MoD has raised the upper age limit of the Strategic Reserve to 65. In other words, we’re assembling a Real Dad’s Army 2.0.

The Strategic Reserve consists of a pool of former service personnel with a legal liability to train, be called up and mobilise in times of crisis. Announcing the new plans last month, the MoD claimed the move allowed them to boost the “pool of skilled former military personnel called upon in crises as the UK strengthens preparedness”.