Reserve Force components
Reservists: Who are they and what do they do?
The Reserve Force is an integral component of the Canadian Armed Forces. Reservists are primarily part-time service positions. They may volunteer for full-time employment or deployment on operations. They typically serve one or more evenings a week and/or during weekends at locations close to home. Reserve units are located in hundreds of communities across Canada and the world. The majority of Reservists hold civilian jobs or are students enrolled in post-secondary programs. For these reasons, they are sometimes referred to as citizen soldiers.
The Reserve Force has four sub-components:
Primary Reserve
The Primary Reserve is largely comprised of part-time soldiers, sailors, airmen, and airwomen who work in armouries. They are members who have other full-time civilian employment or who attend school, and who dedicate themselves to the military on a part-time basis. The Primary Reserve has approximately 28,500 members.
Primary Reservists serve in communities across Canada. Though Reserve units are supported by a Canadian Armed Forces base or wing, many are not physically close to those establishments or the services that are provided by them.
The Primary Reserve is made up of the:
- Naval Reserve, approximately 4,000 reservists in 24 Naval Reserve Divisions.
- Canadian Army Reserve, approximately 19,000 part and full-time reservists in 185 units located in 86 cities.
- Royal Canadian Air Force Reserve, approximately 2,000 employed in total force establishments throughout Canada.
- Military Personnel Command, which includes the Canadian Forces Health Services Reserve (16 Reserve Field Ambulances across Canada and the 1 Canadian Field Hospital Ottawa) and the National Defence Headquarters Primary Reserve List (PRL) (approximately 1,500 members).
- Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Reserve.
- Judge Advocate General Reserve, approximately 60 legal officers employed in various supporting legal roles.
Supplementary Reserve
The Supplementary Reserve is comprised of Canadian Armed Forces members who have previously served in the Regular Force or another sub-component of the Reserve Force, or did not have previous military experience when they enrolled but have special skills or expertise for which there is a military requirement. The purpose of the Supplementary Reserve sub-component is to augment the Regular Force and the other sub-components of the Reserve Force.
The Commander, Military Personnel Command, commands, controls and administers the Supplementary Reserve sub-component. The Supplementary Reserve has about 6,700 of members. Members of the Supplementary Reserve Force are not required to undertake military training or duty unless they voluntarily transfer or are placed on active service, in times of national emergency.
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