Background to the report

Established in 1908, the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) support and provide infrastructure for the reserve forces and cadet forces of the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

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Reserve forces are made up of volunteers, many with full-time jobs, who use their spare time to train as part of the armed forces and can expect to be called up and deployed on operations alongside their full-time regular colleagues. Cadet forces, for young people typically aged from 12 to 18, have a range of aims such as providing interesting and challenging activities and life skills.

The RFCAs are not part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) but are central government unclassified arm’s-length bodies with Crown status. In 2019 the MoD published the latest in its series of periodic comprehensive reviews of the RFCAs, which became known as the ‘Sullivan review’ after its author. The review examined the need for the RFCAs, the appropriateness of their delivery model and the effectiveness of their governance and management.

Scope of the report

We undertook our investigation to review how the MoD had addressed the Sullivan review’s recommendations and assess the current oversight arrangements, at a time when the reserve forces – who depend on the RFCAs’ support – are playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s defence capabilities. We focused our work on identifying what arrangements the MoD has established to ensure that the RFCAs deliver their key duties set by the Defence Council in an affordable and cost‑efficient way.

Conclusions 

The RFCAs provide important functions to support the reserve forces and cadets across the UK, by connecting them with employers and wider society and managing the volunteer estate. The Council acts as a coordinating headquarters for the 13 regional RFCAs, through which all funding streams flow.

The MoD has worked with the Council and the RFCAs in recent years to strengthen its oversight arrangements, in response to the findings of the Sullivan review, but it has not yet been able to implement one of the review’s two central recommendations, the establishment of a new NDPB, since this requires primary legislation.

Risks remain in the organisation and operation of the RFCAs, particularly the limitations of the MoD’s powers to act if a RFCA was to fail in delivering its duties, and incomplete compliance with financial reporting requirements and HM Treasury oversight.

The MoD must mitigate the remaining legal and financial risks identified in the Sullivan review, whether that is by creating a new NDPB or further strengthening the current model, to support the evolving role of the reserve forces. In doing this the MoD will need to consider how best to retain the benefits of the RFCAs’ local identities and connections, while ensuring that the RFCAs provide cost-effective, high-quality infrastructure and support services.

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Publication details

Press release

View press release (19 Mar 2025)

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