The Regular Army and the Territorial Army
The Regular Army and the Territorial Army work together in defence, peacekeeping and humanitarian roles both at home and overseas. The Regular Army is a force of full-time professional soldiers, while the TA is a reserve force of civilians who fulfil soldier training and operational support on a spare-time basis. The TA is not a separate Army. It works integrally with the Regular Army to add reinforcement whenever and wherever necessary.
How the Army is organised
The Army is divided into the Combat Arms and Services, which are then divided further into Corps and Regiments. Combat Arms are made up of units which become actively involved in peacetime activities and on operations. Assistance is provided by Combat Support and Combat Service Support Units. All Arms and Services have both Regular and Territorial units and individuals who work together in training and on operations.
Commitment
The Regular Army consists of full time units grouped into field formations (Brigades and Divisions) for operations and training. These are generally based in barracks in the UK or Germany (with some units in Cyprus) and this is where they live and train. From their base location they can be deployed on operations or training anywhere in the World.
The TA is made up of volunteers who commit their spare time to training as soldiers and working with the Regular Army. The TA is divided into Independent Units who recruit locally and National Units who recruit across the UK. TA Officers and Soldiers serving in Independent Units complete a minimum of 27 days training a year, whereas due to their specific role, TA National Units only complete 19 days.
Mobilisation
A full-time soldier serving in the Regular Army is liable for mobilisation at any time. A soldier serving in the TA is liable for call-out under the Reserve Forces Act. In practice, the TA usually asks for volunteers. All TA soldiers who are mobilised have their civilian jobs legally protected.