Written Question·Ministry of Defence·UIN 119763
Armed Forces: Age
Tabled: 10 March 2026
Answered: 17 March 2026
Named DayQuestion
Mr Peter Bedford
Conservative — Mid Leicestershire
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the age for deployable service-personnel to 16.
Answer
Louise Sandher-JonesAll recruitment into the UK military is voluntary and no young person under the age of 18 years may join our Armed Forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of their parent or guardian. We take the duty of care towards a...
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