“In dealing with a similar PO in 2013, a total of seven, service personnel under the age of 18 were identified as having been deployed in the period 2007-10 in Iraq and Afghanistan. Upon closer inspection of the information, only two out of the four service personnel were actually deployed to Iraq before the age of 18.

Therefore, between April 2007 and April 2010, a total of five service personnel under 18 were deployed, all of which were aged 17; three were deployed to Afghanistan and two to Iraq. Of these five Service personnel, two were within two days of their 18th birthday, and two were identified on their arrival in theatre and returned to UK; they redeployed after their 18th birthday. The fifth individual was not identified until after they turned 18.

No such deployment has occurred beyond March 2010.”

Information regarding the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) policy on the deployment of under 18’s can be found on page 40 of the Joint Service Publication (JSP) 822, Part 1.

Reference

FOI 2018/12590 dated 31 January 2019.