Reserves Day: Our Joint Cyber Reserve Force
Reservists are an important part of Strategic Command, bringing outside skills and experience to benefit Defence
Reservists balance their civilian life with a military career, giving up their spare time to serve in the Reserve Forces.
This Reserves Day we are highlighting the work of the Joint Cyber Reserve Force.
In 2013, Defence set out a programme to match the ambition of the Government to create an innovative way to secure information advantage through a bold and, at the time, unique project. The aim was to leverage high-end cyber talent to enhance Defence Cyber Capability.
‘People think of military as land, sea and air’. We long ago recognised a fourth – space. Now there is a fifth – cyber. Cyber is the new frontier of defence.’
Rt Hon Phillip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Defence 2013.
The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 recognised that the cyber threat was likely to grow exponentially in scale and sophistication in the next decade. Jump to the present and the Joint Cyber Reserve Force is marking its 10-Year Anniversary, which included a seminar at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom - home to the Defence Cyber Academy.
At the 10th Anniversary Seminar, which took place between 16-18 June 2023, members of the Cyber Reserve Force spoke about their experiences in the force.
One member was Sergeant ‘Olly’, from the Army Reserves, who said:
I take immense pride in being a member of a military unit that stands as a testament to its uniqueness, gathering a diverse group of individuals with a wide array of skills and attributes.
It is within this collective that I find invaluable opportunities for personal growth and learning. As the saying goes, ‘Iron sharpens iron,’ and I consider it an honour to contribute to something greater than myself.
It is now recognised across Defence that the Cyber Reserve Force is delivering critical output and that the capability development of cyber tools, and the innovation that the cyber reserve brings, has enhanced cyber operations.
The creation of the Cyber Reserve Force has allowed those who could previously not, due to military entry standards, to join; and allows those who had considered a reservist role, but found none that suited them, to apply their talent.
The Joint Cyber Reserve Force project team aimed to attract those high-end skills from industry, academia, ex-, and those current reserves working in the cyber industry.
Today, there is a federation of 6 units.
Warrant Officer 1 Anthony, part of the Royal Navy Reserves, is proud to be a Cyber Reservist, and said:
Having left the regulars after 16 years of service, I was able to ‘reset’ for a period of time before I chose to join the Cyber Reserves just under 3 years later.
I am now 7 years into my reservist journey where I have been able to conduct support and taskings that would be classed as being strategically critical to the interests of defence and wider elements of HM Government.
This has allowed me to grow immeasurably as a person where I get to work alongside good ‘oppos’ who are at the top of their professions and has also ensured that I remain at the cutting edge of technical and professional competence in my areas of expertise - the opportunities that are there to get out of your comfort zone and grow as a cyber specialist are invaluable and the subsequent benefits that come from this cannot be over emphasised.
Getting the balance right between my day job, the challenges of maintaining the right family life balance, and utilising my spare time as a reservist to the greatest extent possible hasn’t been an easy task but it has allowed me to work on projects that I would never get the opportunity to do so in the private sector and this contributes towards an immense level of pride and satisfaction in what I do.
You can learn more about the Joint Cyber Reserve Force, and the skills and talents they’re looking for, on their GOV.UK page.