UK launches paid military ‘gap year’ to aid recruiting

Young people will be offered a year of paid experience and training in the Armed Forces under a new 'Gap Year' Foundation Scheme modelled on the Australian Defence Force programme.

Britain to extend military recall liability to age 65

Former UK service personnel could be recalled up to age 65 under the Armed Forces Bill, with the threshold lowered to cover 'warlike preparations', the Defence Investment Plan confirms.
Assault rifle with scope and foregrip lying on weathered wooden planks.

Project Grayburn funded but absent from investment plan

Project Grayburn, the programme to replace the British Army's SA80 rifle, is funded despite not appearing as a specific line in the Defence Investment Plan.

Russia may test NATO with Poland provocation plans

Intelligence services are reportedly examining scenarios including drone attacks, infrastructure sabotage and a limited border incursion.
Stone plaque reading MINISTRY OF DEFENCE with a crown crest, set against blue-toned financial charts and graphs in the background by overlay.

Almost a third of defence boost rests on autumn Budget

Almost a third of the gbp 15bn Defence Investment Plan, some 4.7bn, has yet to be pinned down and will only be settled at the autumn Budget.
Neoclassical government building with a Union Jack flag, beside a ship under construction and a crane in a dockyard scene.

Treasury sets out defence boost funding gap

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told Parliament how the government will fund the £15bn Defence Investment Plan, reallocating capital budgets across Whitehall and £4.7bn still to be confirmed at the autumn Budget.

Army Wildcat helicopter to be retired

The Army's Wildcat battlefield reconnaissance helicopters will begin leaving service from 2027, with the MoD saying uncrewed systems will take over the job of scouting ahead of friendly lines.

Rutte meets Trump ahead of Ankara NATO summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has met US President Donald Trump at the White House to prepare for the alliance's summit in Ankara next month.
Soldiers in camouflage deploy from an armored vehicle as white smoke billows nearby.

Singapore firm to win UK 40mm grenade deal

A Singapore-based manufacturer, ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering, is to sign a contract worth almost GBP 66 million to supply the British military with 40mm grenades, according to a contract award notice.

British Army fields 10,000 drones in six months

The British Army has invested GBP 300 million in attritable and consumable systems over the past six months, placing 10,000 small drones into soldiers' hands, the UK Defence Journal understands.