British military drops basic training to fast track recruitment of ‘cyber warriors’

The UK Ministry of Defence is launching a direct-entry pathway to rapidly recruit and train cyber operators, reducing basic training to four weeks followed by three months of cyber instruction at the Defence Academy, with up to 50 recruits entering Royal Navy/RAF roles by end-2025 and expansion to include the Army in 2026. Targeting 18–39-year-old (primarily) sole British citizens with starting pay over £40,000 plus skills pay, the initiative aims to address cyber skills shortages ahead of the National Cyber Force’s new headquarters opening and amid heightened threats from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea.