Reservists are men and women who volunteer to undertake Reserve Force training with the Royal Naval Reserve; Royal Marine Reserves; Army Reserve or Royal Air Force Reserve outside of their civilian career. The civilian career of a Reservist generally does not dictate the role they undertake within the Reserve Forces, apart from those involved in certain specialisations, such as the medical profession. We have just under 32,000 Reservists in the UK.
How does East Anglia RFCA support the Reserve Forces?
Estate Management
With the help of our partners Vivo, we manage and maintain 15 Army Reserve Centres across our region, ensuring that the buildings remain safe and functional for the reserves who train in them.
We support Reservists, military spouses, veterans and their employers on behalf of the Ministry of Defence in the region.
Support from employers across the public and private sectors remains key to the success of the Reserves agenda. The RFCAs, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, continue to work with employers to promote the Armed Forces Covenant and raise awareness of the benefits of employing Reservists in particular.
Our Employer Engagement team, led by the Regional Employer Engagement Director, raises awareness amongst employers of the Armed Forces Covenant. The team, supported by county committees of RFCA members, encourages individual employers to support the Reserves by signing the Armed Forces Covenant and demonstrating supportive behaviour towards Reservists in their workplaces.
On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, we also organise events to recognise employers that have excelled in demonstrating their support to Reservists and non-serving Defence personnel, such as veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses. These are Employer Recognition Scheme Silver awards ceremonies, held annually in each of the nation’s RFCA regions.
We advise the Defence Council about Reserve Forces in our region.
We maintain strong links with the Chains of Command through regular reporting and coordinated activity, and while the Armed Forces, Regular and Reserves at all levels, may encounter a high turnover of staff every now and then, the RFCA provides continuity in the form of knowledge, experience and connections in the region.
Our Association governance provides the framework to nurture good relationships with all the Reserve Forces units in the region. Our county forums, made up of representatives from each unit training in the county as well as selected military, ex-officio and community representatives, meet bi-annually to table issues and ideas for the well-being of the Reservists in our region.