Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the restrictions on officer roles for late entry officers in the Army; and why those restrictions are in place.

Late Entry (LE) officers are eligible to apply for the same appointments as Direct Entry (DE) officers, and since 2023 all officers have been considered together for roles under a single, merit-based system.

There are no formal restrictions preventing LE officers from being appointed to particular posts. However, in practice some roles require specific experience or career pathways that DE officers are more likely to have, while other posts-particularly those drawing heavily on soldiering experience-are better suited to LEs. Selection is always based on the needs of the Army and the knowledge, skills and experience required for each role.

The Army is currently reviewing how to improve parity between LE and DE career structures, including how LE officers might access a broader range of roles and development opportunities, while ensuring operational effectiveness remains the priority.