- 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.
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