He said TA servicemen and women were a "vital component to the deployment of military medical services".
He said TA forces in the West Midlands were expected to grow to at least 3, 000 over the next few years.
Despite the state of the economy since 2008, he said TA recruitment had seen little change in terms of take-up or drop-out rates.
He joined the TA 16 years ago after serving in the regular Army with the Coldstream Guards and Household Division from the age of 15, retiring as a senior drum major who led parades at prestigious events such as the Trooping of the Colour.
But he just said, Ta to, Mom, ta to, and danced right out the door.
He said that all TA soldiers being deployed in Afghanistan would still receive their full, pre-deployment training.
"For many the TA is a habit - break the habit, break the TA, " he said.
The German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, told the Athens daily Ta Nea that he believed the austerity measures were not just working but making up for decades of policy lapses.
Although he plans to retire from the TA shortly after leading Saturday's 100th anniversary parade, membership has brought him much satisfaction.
Noel Lavery, permanent secretary at the Department of Agriculture (DARD), said he did not believe the assistance of the TA was requested and "that was purely a matter for for the minister and other ministers".
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"I will miss my family and the routine of work, but my employers are supportive of the TA because it helps you learn leadership and management, " he added.
But he adds that such deployment to conflict zones should not put people off joining the TA because members retain the choice whether they go or not.
He said: When I left I felt like continuing it, so I found a local TA band in Middlesbrough, rang them up and asked if they needed a drum major.
Last week he even indicated that foreign judges and lawyers could play a limited role in the trial of former Khmer Rouge general Ta Mok--still the most public stumbling block on Phnom Penh's road to international legitimacy.
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