As part of the Royal Yeomanry, W (Westminster Dragoons) Squadron provide several different capabilities to the regular Army for both enduring operations and in time of war.

For the Army’s five formation reconnaissance regiments the RY generates trained armoured fighting vehicle crewmen.  For one of those five regiments, the Light Dragoons, the RY is tasked with providing a chemical reconnaissance troop.  The RY also assists the Joint CBRN Regiment in providing a light role chemical reconnaissance capability.

All Royal Yeomen are liable to be called up for full-time service by compulsory mobilisation.  The Ministry of Defence has stated that its policy is for this to happen at most once every five years for each soldier.  Anyone thinking about joining the WDs should expect to be called up at some point in their career in the squadron, although at present all mobilisations are voluntary.

Normally, as a member of the Royal Yeomanry you would be given two months' notice of a coming mobilisation plus a further month’s formal warning to report to Chilwell, the mobilisation centre.  Royal Yeomen should expect to be mobilised, including a month's paid leave at the end of the tour, for eleven months at a time.

This timetable may not always apply, however. For Operation TELIC 1 (the Iraq war in 2003), the soldiers and officers of W Sqn RY had about a fortnight's notice and were mobilised from the end of January to the middle of May 2003 (enough time to prepare for the war, fight it and stay in theatre on peace support operations for six weeks).

If you join the RY but later decide that it is not for you, you can leave at any time (other than during a period when you are called up).  Your liability for mobilisation stops the moment you quit.

In addition to mobilisation, if you are keen to serve with the regular Army for a limited period you can volunteer for Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS).  Once you have volunteered you will be slotted into a regiment which would normally (but not necessarily) be one of W Sqn RY’s affiliated regiments: the Joint CBRN Regiment and the Light Dragoons.