DEFENCES OF BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25609, 25 September 1948, Page 7

DEFENCES OF BRITAIN

PLANS FOR BIGGER FORCES INITIAL STEPS TAKEN LONDON, September 23. The expansion of Britain’s reserve defence forces began to-day. Steps announced by the fighting services were:— Royal Navy: Plans to swell the reserves from 14 000 oncers and men to 75.000, exclusive of 17.000 ratings already in the Royal Fleet Reserve Royal Air Force: The opeping of a Royal Air Force supplementary list for former airmen and women willing and ready to return to service at the very outset of an emergency. Army: The launching of two London territorial groups of the A.T.S. as the opening of a nation-wide campaign to bring the A.T.S. strength to 45,000 and an announcement by the Chief of the Jmpena! General Staff (Field-Marshal Lord Montgomery) that the Territorial Army wanted 100,000 more men before next spring. Field-Marshal Montgomery said: ’While I do not want to stress the danger, of war. I do not want to underplay it. Let us be secure whatever happens. A very uneasy peace broods over the world, and military security has become very necessary.

New Emergency Reserves The new Royal Naval and Royal Marine emergency reserves will have a combined target of 50.000 former members of the forces, willing to serve if called upon in an emergency. A Royal Marine Forces Volunteer Reserve is also being established, and the Royal Naval Reserve catering for merchant navy officers and men is being reconstituted. It is hoped to raise the present Royal Fleet Reserve intake from 700 to 1000 personnel and increase the R.N.V.R. strength from 5000 officers and men to 15.000. with an immediate target of 7000 in the next six months. Tlie Royal Navy and the Roval Air Force are going into “battle” to-night ing the biggest combined air and sea exercises since the war. The Home Fleet of 20 warships, which left Portland this afternoon, will participate. The "battle” will be in the Channel and the south-western approaches. It will be (designed to exercise: (1) naval forces in defence against air, submarine and motor torpedo-boat attacks; (2) aircraft, torpedo-boats and submarines in locating and attacking a “screened” naval force; and (3) surface forces in an encounter.