The Reserve Forces consist of the Maritime Reserve, made up of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR); the Territorial Army (TA), and the Royal Air Force Reserves.
The Maritime Reserve Forces
This includes the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and The Royal Marines Reserve (RMR).
Royal Naval Reserve
The RNR also provide skills that are not found elsewhere in the Royal Navy, such as the naval control of shipping, public affairs and liaison with the media. Their specific areas of expertise include:
- Logistics
- Medical services
- Engineering
- Communications
- Submarine support
- Security
- Intelligence
- Air support and aviation
Royal Marines Reserve
Royal Marine recruits train for a minimum of a year and, if successful, are awarded the coveted Commando Green Beret. They are then expected to specialise in one of these areas:
- Parachutists
- Swimmer-canoeists
- Small-boat or expert weapons instructors
Territorial Army Reserves
The largest of the Reserve Forces is the Territorial Army. The TA is divided into three types of unit; National, Regional and Sponsored. Anyone thinking of joining usually has a choice of at least two types of unit, depending on how far they‘re prepared to travel to attend training. Reservist roles are extremely varied and cover areas such as:
- Combat
- Engineering
- Logistics and support
- Medical
- HR and finance
- Intelligence
- Communications
- IT
Royal Air Force Reserves
The Reserve Air Forces are made up of the RAF Reserve (RAFR) and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF). RAuxAF volunteers tend to have full-time civilian jobs, whereas members of the RAFR tend to be recruited especially for full-time or part-time service. Both support the Regular RAF on operations. Members of the Reserve Air Forces can perform a variety of functions such as:
- Engineering and technical
- Medical
- Administration
- Logistics
- Combat
- Trade