Teens to be offered military ‘gap year’ in new defence drive
New military ‘gap year’ scheme launched for young people
- A new scheme will offer paid gap year placements with the Army, Royal Navy, and RAF to young people under 25.
- Launching in March 2026, the initiative aims to recruit 150 people initially, expanding to over 1,000 annually, without active deployment.
- Defence Secretary John Healey said that the scheme will provide young people with a "taste" of military skills and training.
- The programme is part of a "whole of society" approach to national defence, prompted by concerns over Russian aggression.
- This new scheme is more widely accessible than existing Army internships and similar to programmes in Australia and other European nations.