Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Armed forces to launch 'Gap Year' scheme for young people to bolster skills and leadership, published on 27 December 2025, whether his Department has a target for the number of 150 participants that will remain in the armed forces following the conclusion of that scheme.

The Armed Forces Foundation Year Scheme (‘Gap Year’) will offer new opportunities to experience military service through a new scheme set to launch in early 2026. The lessons of the first cohort (Tranche 1) will inform future practices for the Scheme. The first participants will be apportioned at 20 each for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force respectively with the Army offering the remainder (110). The ambition remains that the scheme will expand to over 1,000 participants subject to interest. We will be setting out further details in due course.