A reservist prime minister and the chain-of-command paradox

Penny Mordaunt's Royal Naval Reserve service raised a hypothetical problem when she sought the Conservative leadership: a prime minister who remained a reserve captain would hold positions both within the naval chain of command and at the head of government. The older practice was to pause the military career, but the rarity of the situation prompted uncertainty about modern arrangements. Clarke tentatively recalls that Mordaunt herself resolved the question by pointing out that the existing provision was still on the books and saying she would use it. The example concerns how civilian political authority and reserve military status could coexist.