US EditionUK Launches Voluntary Paid Military Gap Year Scheme for Under-25s
The UK scheme will start with 150 recruits and expand to over 1,000 annually, offering paid placements up to two years without deployment on active operations.
- In March 2026 the Ministry of Defence will open a voluntary paid military gap year for under-25s, starting with around 150 recruits and aiming to expand to more than 1,000 per year.
- The government announced earlier this year the scheme to attract teenagers amid rising concerns about Russia and warnings from Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, following the Strategic Defence Review's recruitment recommendations.
- The Army scheme would begin with three months of basic training, with pay expected to match about 26,000 pounds; participants will not be deployed on active operations.
- Officials hope the scheme will bring a broader range of people into the forces, teaching transferable skills for civilian careers with no obligation to join, while insiders claim it could ultimately pay for itself.
- The scheme is modelled on Australia's ADF gap year, which enlisted 664 people in 2023 with a little more than half staying on, but critics say the 150-place pilot is small and funding concerns remain.
141 Articles
141 Articles
Conscription has not existed in Great Britain for decades. However, in times of crisis, the government is now considering new approaches.
There is no compulsory military service in the UK, which is why, according to a report, the government wants to attract more young people to the professional army.
As of March, 150 young people will be able to complete paid one-year military training. In the long term, it will be extended to more than a thousand places if interested.
Conscription was abolished in Great Britain in the 1960s. Due to growing threats, the United Kingdom now wants to test a voluntary military service.
The Ministry of Defense intends to launch a program that will give people under the age of 25 the opportunity, without long-term commitments, to try for service in the army, navy or air force. The initiative is part of an effort aimed at solving problems with the set of...
The British Armed Forces will launch a program in March that will allow people under 25 years of age to follow a remunerated preparation for a year around them, announced the British Defence Ministry, quoted by Reuters and AFP on Saturday.
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