Brit military to supply ‘paid hole 12 months’ to keep away from WW3 conscription chaos
The decision comes as the Chief of Defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said Britain’s ‘sons and daughters’ should be ‘ready to fight’
British under-25s will be able to apply for paid gap years with the British army from 2026 onwards, in a bid to ramp up efforts against Russian aggression. Due to open in March 2026, the scheme will initially recruit 150 people for 2-year placements, before opening up to more than 1,000 per year.
As first reported in The i Paper it is intended to encourage more young people to consider military life or develop transferable skills if they don’t want to enlist in the future. It comes after Brits have been warned to prepare for World War Three in chilling statements in recent weeks.
So far we don’t know how much recruits will be paid, but under-25s won’t be able to apply and successful applicants won’t go on active operations.
Recruits would have 13 weeks of basic Army training as part of the two-year placement. Reports suggest the Navy gap year would be for 12 months, providing ‘profession agnostic’ training for sailors.
According to Defence Sec John Healey, the scheme offers to ‘give Britain’s young people a taste of the incredible skills and training on offer across the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.’
He said: “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.”
The Army scheme would see recruits receive 13 weeks of basic training as part of a two-year placement, while the Navy scheme would last one year and provide “profession agnostic” training for sailors, according to reports.
It comes after a top Army chief said everyone in Britain needs to ‘step up’ in the face of major global threats.
Sir Richard Knighton said: “The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces.
“A new era for defence doesn’t just mean our military and government stepping up – as we are – it means our whole nation stepping up.
“Our armed forces always need to be ready to fight and win – that’s why readiness is such a priority.
“But deterrence is also about our resilience to these threats, it’s about how we harness all our national power, from universities, to industry, the rail network to the NHS.
“It’s about our defence and resilience being a higher national priority for all of us. An ‘all-in’ mentality.
“And that will require people who are not soldiers, sailors or aviators to nevertheless invest their skills – and money – in innovation and problem solving on the nation’s behalf.”
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