UK Slashes Cyber Defence Training Time to Fast-Track Recruits

The UK government has announced a major overhaul of its cyber defence recruitment programme, cutting basic training from ten weeks to just one month in a bid to fast-track specialists into operational roles. 

The new entry route, aimed at those with existing digital skills or an aptitude for cyber security, will see recruits undergo a further three months of specialist training at the Defence Cyber Academy in Shrivenham before being deployed.

By the end of 2025, those completing the accelerated programme will be placed in frontline roles, either protecting defence networks at the UK’s digital headquarters in Corsham or conducting cyber operations as part of the National Cyber Force. The move comes in response to a growing wave of cyber threats, with UK military systems targeted more than 90,000 times in the past two years.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said the new approach would help Britain “face our adversaries in the 21st century and defend the country from the changing threats we face.” 

Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard MP, launching the scheme in Corsham, described cyberspace as “a new front line” and emphasised the urgency of bolstering the UK’s digital defences.

With cyber warfare playing an increasingly critical role in national security, the programme is also designed to address a global shortage of cyber talent. 

Recruits will be offered one of the highest starting salaries in the armed forces at over £40,000 ($50,000), with additional pay incentives as they gain experience. 

The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will begin recruiting under the scheme in 2025, with the British Army set to follow in early 2026.