The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) were established in 1908, and support and provide infrastructure for the reserve forces and cadet forces of the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. There are 13 regional RFCAs, and their services underpin the effectiveness of the reserves, which the Ministry of Defence views as essential to UK military capability. In 2019, the MoD In 2019 the MoD published the ‘Sullivan review’, which examined the need for the RFCAs, the appropriateness of their delivery model and the effectiveness of their governance and management.
The PAC warned in 2018 that the armed forces had the largest shortfall of regulars for many years. It has skill shortages in over 100 critical trades. Its 2014 report into the Army 2020 strategy found that shortfalls in recruitment were then increasing the risk of capability gaps emerging in some parts of the Army’s structure, which in turn was increasing the risk of additional pressure being placed on regular troops.
The National Audit Office (NAO) investigated the MoD’s oversight of the RFCAs in 2025, finding that financial, legal and governance risks remain in the organisation and operation of the RFCAs which it said the MoD must mitigate to support the evolving role of the reserve forces in national defence. Informed by the report, the PAC will question senior MoD officials on the current oversight arrangements, particularly the MoD’s current powers in relation to RCFAs.
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If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 05 June 2025.