Upper age limit for former regular army soldiers has been raised from 43 to 52, as regular army numbers continue to fall

Some over-50s will be able to join the army reserve in a drive by the Ministry of Defence to increase the number of recruits.

The upper age limit for former regular army soldiers has been raised from 43 to 52 and the limit for former commissioned officers is now 57 rather than 35. The changes have been made to reflect the demographics and health of the population, and “consequently widens the potential recruitment pool”, according to the MoD.

There were an additional 590 recruits to the army reserve in the year to October compared with the previous 12 months, bringing the total to 3,840.

However, attrition meant the total number of reservists rose by just 20 to 19,310 despite a multimillion-pound television and online advertising campaign to attract more recruits to the three armed forces’ reserves.

David Cameron has pledged to raise the number of reservists to 30,000 in the next four years as the regular army continues to shed soldiers. It has fallen by 8,000 to just over 94,000.

An MoD spokesperson said: “We make no apology for revising the age requirements for ex-regular soldiers to join the reserves and share their wealth of knowledge and expertise. All recruits have to meet strict fitness requirements, or could face discharge.”

Julian Brazier, the reserves minister, said reservists made a growing contribution to the armed forces, assisting both in Britain and abroad.

“We have always recognised that reinvigorating our reserve forces would not be achieved overnight. However, one year into our five-year plan we are making steady progress and seeing increased numbers joining the reserves,” he said.

“By investing £1.8bn in our reserve forces, fully integrating them with our regulars, and ensuring they receive the best training and equipment available, we are demonstrating our commitment to both our serving personnel and to enhancing the opportunities available to those joining in the future.”

The limit remains at 43 for direct-entry recruits into the army reserve, while the upper age for specialist commissioning has been raised from 45 to 50. Specialists are defined as individuals with specific skills or experience in particular fields.

A former officer with knowledge of reservist recruitment said the army was being encouraged to take on anyone who applied. “If you have two legs and two arms, then you are in,” he told The Times.