RFCA Wales annual briefing draws 150 in Cardiff
If you want to see the UK’s reserve and cadet system up close, start with a Thursday evening at a reserve centre. On 16 October 2025, the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (RFCA) for Wales gathered 150 guests at HMS Cambria in Cardiff Bay for its annual briefing. The official GOV.UK report, published on 23 October, confirms the attendance and speakers.
We’re using the briefing as a case study of civic–military engagement: how UK Defence explains itself locally, how employers and volunteers fit in, and what you-as a learner, educator or local resident-can take from one evening’s agenda.
Major General (Retd) Stephen Potter QVRM TD VR set the national context, outlining the Strategic Defence Review 2025 and the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Reform programme. A former Director Reserves at Army HQ, Potter now leads the External Scrutiny Team that reports each year to the Defence Secretary on the state of the UK’s Reserve Forces. When people refer to the 2025 review, they mean the government’s stocktake of threats, capabilities and budgets that guides decisions for the years ahead.
Voices from across the system followed. Wing Commander Lee Matthews, Officer Commanding No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, delivered a reserve unit update. Colonel Melanie Prangnell MBE, Commandant Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force, and Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major Zuzanna Radkowska offered the cadet perspective. Able Seaman Jaroslav Klusevich shared a reservist’s view from HMS Cambria, while Scott Milne, Vice President and General Manager at General Dynamics Land Systems–UK, spoke for employers. Broadcaster Sian Lloyd compèred the evening.
An award moment added colour: the Ulysses Trust presented the 2024 best university expedition for a self‑sustained canoe journey in remote Sweden by university reservists from Wales, Birmingham and Bristol. The Ulysses Trust is the charity that helps reservists, University Service Units and cadets access adventurous training that builds confidence and leadership.
Quick explainer: what do RFCAs actually do? They are Crown bodies working through 13 regional associations to support the volunteer reserve and cadet experience. On behalf of the Ministry of Defence they maintain the volunteer estate-hundreds of reserve sites and thousands of cadet centres-provide employer engagement, and act as a bridge between Defence and local communities, as set out on GOV.UK.
Why invite employers? Because civilian jobs and reserve service need to fit together. Defence Relationship Management, the MOD team that supports employers, helps organisations sign the Armed Forces Covenant, write reservist‑friendly HR policies and understand mobilisation obligations. The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme then recognises those who go further with Bronze, Silver or Gold awards, which is why RFCA briefings often include a business voice.
Who are 614 Squadron RAuxAF? Based in Cardiff, 614 is a General Support Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, re‑formed in 2014 to recruit and train reservists from South Wales for roles that support the RAF at home and overseas, according to the RAF’s official profile.
What about Army Cadets? The Army’s own explainer describes the Army Cadet Force as a youth organisation that develops young people-confidence, teamwork and leadership-through safe, structured activities and recognised awards such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s. It is not part of the armed forces recruiting process, though some cadets later choose to join.
A sense of scale helps. Across the UK, the Army notes more than 65,000 cadets and over 11,000 adult volunteers meet regularly in schools and community venues, with safeguarding and training standards overseen by permanent staff.
And the venue? HMS Cambria is the Royal Navy Reserve’s home in Wales, a purpose‑built base on Cardiff Bay opened in 2021 that also houses a Royal Marines Reserve detachment and the Universities Royal Naval Unit for Wales. The Royal Navy and RFCA for Wales delivered the £11 million facility with Associated British Ports, placing a modern reserve hub back in the capital.
Why does a local briefing matter this year? The External Scrutiny Team’s 2024 statutory report to ministers warned that parts of the Reserve risk being ‘hollowed out’ without clearer purpose, better equipment access and sustained support-so hearing from units, cadets and employers in one place is more than ceremony.
There is also a wider public conversation. Reporting by the Guardian in June described plans to ‘reconnect’ Defence with society, including growth in school and community cadet forces and more public events to explain threats and spending-another reason these evenings are worth your attention.
What this means if you teach. A session like this can feed a citizenship, politics or careers lesson: how the state balances security with budgets; how community organisations partner with government; what legal protections and responsibilities reservists and employers have; and how youth programmes build civic skills.
What this means if you’re a student or local resident. You can use open evenings and briefings to ask practical questions: what training looks like, how time commitments work, and how the Armed Forces Covenant shows up in real workplaces. You are not signing up by attending; you are learning how public institutions operate.
Media literacy checkpoint. Our primary source is the official GOV.UK news release on 23 October 2025, supported by service pages from the RAF and British Army, the Royal Navy’s profile of HMS Cambria, the External Scrutiny Team’s 2024 report and the Ulysses Trust website. We also read independent reporting to understand the bigger policy picture.
One evening at a reserve centre tells a bigger story. Reserves rely on supportive employers; cadets rely on safe spaces and committed adults; and Defence relies on public understanding. Briefings like RFCA Wales’ bring those strands into the same room and give you a clear way to study civic–military engagement in practice.