The Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve form the Maritime Reserve - the fifth fighting arm of the Royal Navy comprising 3,000 men and women from all backgrounds who train and work alongside full-time sailors and Royal Marines on a part-time basis and in times of crisis. They are a fully integrated part of the Royal Navy's total strength. ​The Royal Navy relies on the Media Operations Specialists (MOS) of the Royal Naval Reserve to 1. Train the Royal Navy to interact with the media 2. Provide guidance and support to the Royal Navy in situations where the media is involved. The day-to-day work of the MOS includes escorting journalists to deployed ships and operational theatres, advising senior officers on communications strategies and briefing them prior to interviews, generating stories and coordinating output, monitoring foreign media, training personnel prior to deployment, and protecting service personnel and their loved ones in emotionally-charged situations. The fact that so many MOS officers and photographers have been so busy is testament not only to the high tempo of operations, requests for embeds and international exercises, but also the importance of good internal and external communications to defence. A member of the MOS can find themselves on board a warship one day, scrambling into helicopters on another, and then racing ashore with the green berets of the Royal Marines. It's a job with plenty of variety where no day is ever the same. In the past few years, the MOS have worked in headquarters roles, campaign planning in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, Naples and the UK. They have also served at sea off the coasts of Libya, Somalia, Sierra Leone, in the Arabian Gulf, the Caribbean as well onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's fleet flagship.