Ten military training sites face investigation after Army college abuse claims

Ten military training establishments in England are to be investigated following allegations of rape, sexual assault and harassment at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

Armed Forces Commissioner Polly Miller-Perkins plans to visit the sites in November and speak to recruits, staff and families. She aims to establish early findings in the New Year.

The investigation follows BBC reporting in August in which four young women described abuse at the college, which trains recruits under 18. One alleged she was raped by several fellow junior soldiers in an attack lasting hours.

Miller-Perkins called the allegations absolutely appalling. She said they reinforced concerns she already held about military training establishments and the potential for predatory behaviour towards women.

Review across the services

The visits will include Harrogate, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. The latter two establishments train Army and Royal Navy officers respectively.

The other sites are RAF Halton, RAF Cranwell, HMS Raleigh, the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone, the Army Training Centre at Pirbright, the Army Training Regiment at Winchester and the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick.

A site's inclusion is not a finding that abuse occurred there. The review is intended to identify systemic welfare and safety problems across training establishments, with conclusions to follow the gathering of evidence.

Miller-Perkins said she would follow that evidence wherever it led. The breadth of the visits places allegations involving the youngest Army recruits within a wider examination of how military personnel begin their careers.

An independent route for complaints

The commissioner can visit defence sites unannounced, seek information from the Ministry of Defence and publish reports. Her remit allows concerns to reach Parliament and ministers outside the normal military chain of command.

Government records show the office was operating and Miller-Perkins was in post on 30 March 2026. The statutory role was created under legislation passed in September 2025 and covers welfare concerns as well as oversight of the service complaints system.

The office can examine individual concerns and wider themes affecting service life, including equipment, housing and unacceptable behaviour. Its recommendations are intended to make responsibility for improvements more visible.

Miller-Perkins, a former air commodore with more than 30 years in the RAF, said the recommendations from this investigation would be public. She said training should bring recruits from different backgrounds up to the values and standards expected of modern armed forces, including respect for women.

Survivor questions trust

One woman who spoke to the BBC about the Army Foundation College said she had little confidence that people would speak openly to another person with a military background.

She said it was easier to talk to a reporter, arguing that long service could make it difficult to step away from military loyalties and recognise failings. Her criticism raises a practical obstacle for any review that depends on recruits sharing experiences they may already find difficult to discuss.

Miller-Perkins said she understood that trust had to be earned and expected to be judged by what her office delivered. She said she had planned to examine training establishments since beginning the role in the spring.

That response places the emphasis on the conduct and outcome of the investigation. Statutory independence gives the office powers, but willingness to provide evidence also depends on whether personnel believe they will be heard fairly.

Ministry welcomes scrutiny

The BBC investigation also documented allegations of inappropriate language and behaviour by instructors, including claims that young female recruits were rated on their appearance. These remain allegations rather than findings of guilt against named individuals.

The Ministry of Defence said it welcomed independent scrutiny and was committed to providing recruits with high standards of training, welfare and support in a safe, professional environment.

Responding to the Harrogate allegations, the ministry said criminal and unacceptable behaviour had no place in the military and encouraged those affected to come forward. It also pointed to an outstanding Ofsted report for the college.

The commissioner now faces two connected tasks: establishing what the evidence shows across the ten sites and demonstrating that the review can produce recommendations authorities take seriously. The November visits will begin that public test, with early findings expected after the turn of the year.