The British military is changing. Regiments have been cut, funds have been redirected, troop numbers are down. The next step is a complete overhaul of the Territorial Army’s branding.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced on Monday that the TA will be rebranded as the Army Reserve in light of the recent defence review. Hammond promises that the Army Reserve will come into being once the military has the opportunity to support new legislation.

“In my head they are the 'Army Reserve' and they will be an integral part of the regular army,” Hammond says. “…I would like to see them renamed, it will take legislation. But when the opportunity for legislation comes along we will take that.”

The move will bring the TA’s public position more into line with its existing function within the Army. The TA has become a reserve force in all but name due to the shrinking professional Army. Hammond says that a name change will allow the Army Reserve to become more integrated into the Army structure as it will sound less like a territorial defence force.

Nearly 7,000 TA soldiers were deployed during the Iraq invasion and thousands more have fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The military expects the TA to double in size to 30,000 by 2020 in response to a continued decrease in regular troops.