The Ministry of Defence plans to offer young people in Britain a gap year–style programme with the aim to introduce them to military life, as part of a new “whole of society” approach to defence.
The government has now confirmed that under-25s who are up to 150 in number will be recruited for the pilot programme, which is due to start in March 2026.
The program will be paid, though the amount of payment package for each participant is not revealed yet.
According to the i paper, following the launch of the scheme, the government plans to expand the initiative to 1,000 per year.
The reform would not involve deployment to active operations upon completion of the scheme, and participation in the scheme would not require participants to remain in the military after its completion.
The aim is to teach transferable skills that can be used in other industries.
This follows the call of the chief of the defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who mentioned that Britain’s “sons and daughters” should be “ready to fight” and advocated for initiative by the “whole of society” to defend the country in the face of Russian aggression.
The defence secretary, John Healey, told the i paper that the scheme would “give Britain’s young people a taste of the incredible skills and training on offer across the army, Royal Navy and RAF”.
“As families come together at this time of year, and young people think about their futures, I want the outstanding opportunities on offer in our armed forces to be part of that conversation in homes across the UK,” he added.
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On his X page, he stated that the move “is part of our determination to reconnect society with our forces, and drive a whole of society approach to our nation’s defence” mentioning that “As young people discuss their futures, I want opportunities in our Armed Forces to be part of their conversation.”
Currently, the army programme consists of 13 weeks of basic training within a two-year placement, while the navy scheme would run for one year and offer “profession-agnostic” training for recruits, according to reports. The Royal Air Force scheme is less developed with options still under consideration.
In June, the UK government said the British armed forces could draw lessons from the Australian approach, stating that a short-term enlistment option could increase participation, particularly among women and individuals from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Australia operates an existing military gap year programme for people aged 17 to 24. In 2023, a total of 664 participants joined the scheme, with just over half later transitioning into permanent positions within the Australian Defence Force.
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