The UK will launch the Armed Forces Foundation Scheme in March 2026, offering around 150 paid, one-year placements across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for school leavers and under-25s. Participants will receive basic training and placements but will not be sent on active operations. Ministers hope to scale the programme to more than 1,000 places and say it will emphasise transferable skills such as logistics, engineering, teamwork and leadership. The scheme is inspired by Australia's ADF Gap Year and is part of a wider "whole of society" defence approach.
UK Launches Paid Armed Forces 'Gap Year' — One-Year Scheme Opens to Under-25s in March 2026
The Royal Navy guided missile destroyer HMS Duncan arrives in the port of Hamburg on November 21. - Marcus Golejewski/picture alliance/Getty Images
The UK government has announced the Armed Forces Foundation Scheme, a paid one-year programme that will allow young people to experience military life across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force without a long-term commitment.
Scheme Overview
Due to begin in March 2026, the scheme will initially recruit about 150 participants, with ministers hoping to expand to more than 1,000 places "subject to interest." Participants will spend a year training and serving across the three services, receive pay, and take part in placements that could include time at sea or working alongside specialist units.
Who It's For
The programme is aimed at school leavers and other young adults under 25 who are uncertain about their career path. Officials emphasise that participants will not be deployed on active operations.
Training And Skills
Details of the curriculum are still being finalised, but ministers say the scheme will focus on transferable skills valued in civilian employment, including logistics, engineering and supply-chain management. The programme will also provide bespoke training to strengthen problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.
"A new era for Defence," said Defence Secretary John Healey, describing the initiative as an opportunity to open up the services' training and skills to a wider pool of young people.
Context And Inspiration
The announcement follows calls from senior military leadership for broader societal engagement in defence. Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton has urged a "whole-nation response to an increasingly volatile and uncertain world," and ministers say the scheme forms part of a "whole of society" approach set out in this year’s Strategic Defence Review.
The initiative is modelled in part on the Australian Defence Force's long-running ADF Gap Year programme and follows similar moves across Europe, where countries such as France and Germany have introduced voluntary national-service-style schemes.
Pay, Recruitment And Next Steps
The government has not yet confirmed specific salaries for the scheme; by comparison, a basic recruit typically starts on around £26,000. Officials say further details on recruitment, pay and the training syllabus will be published in the coming months.
What remains clear: the scheme offers a paid, time-limited opportunity to gain practical skills and insight into service life, without requiring a long-term military commitment.
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