Plans to cut Britain’s two reserve SAS regiments are to be overturned as the Government prepares for a shift towards greater use of the Territorial Army and other reserve forces.
The Times has learnt that 21 SAS and 23 SAS are be spared the axe and their role will be expanded as a new support unit for the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR).
The SRR was created in 2005 to meet a growing demand for covert intelligence gathering and surveillance. They have since served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Northern Ireland and on the mainland, where they have watched terrorist suspects.
The Times also understands that overall reserve forces could be expanded from their current level of about 29,000. Previous proposals had suggested cuts to the reserves, with at least one SAS regiment disbanded and, under the most extreme option, numbers reduced to just 11,000.
Army chiefs are also considering the deployment of Territorial Army troops on operations to Afghanistan as “formed sub-units” of up to company size — about 150 men. Previously reservists have served as individuals in Helmand, backfilling in regular units that are short of troops.
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The shift emerged at a conference on the future of Britain’s part-time soldiers held at the Royal United Service Institute. General Sir Nicholas Houghton, the Vice-Chief of Defence Staff, confirmed that both SAS reserve regiments would survive.
Julian Brazier MP, chairman of the all-party group on Reserve Forces and a former SAS reserve officer, said that the proposed changes represented “very real progress”.The volunteer ethos of the force has been likened to that of the Big Society. However, one MoD source said there was concern that increasing the use of reservists may be seen as cost-cutting.