Policy background
At present, all regulars are subject to a liability to be available for duty all day, every day. Whilst there are some limited opportunities for some regulars to work flexibly, such as working compressed hours or working from home on occasion, there is no ability for regulars to work part-time or to have a guarantee that they will not be liable for an extended overseas deployment.
	It was recognised by the last Government, in its Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, that there was a need to: "make the changes necessary to enable our Armed Forces to work flexibly, reflecting the realities of modern life". Acknowledging that members of the Armed Forces, like their civilian counterparts, want to have more control over how they run their lives by better balancing work and home life, this Act amends the Armed Forces Act 2006 ("AFA 2006") to enable provisions to be made in Defence Council regulations about part-time service for regulars and enabling their service to be geographically restricted. Regulars will be able to apply for either, or both, forms of new service once the new regulations are implemented.