Ministerial role
Secretary of State for Defence
Organisations:
Ministry of Defence
Current role holder:
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
Responsibilities
The Secretary of State for Defence has overall responsibility for the business of the department.
Responsibilities include:
- strategic policy and operational oversight including as a member of the National Security Council
- nuclear deterrent (CASD) and operations policy and enterprise
- strategic overview of the Strategic Defence Review Implementation and Defence Investment Plan
- Defence budget
- Euro-Atlantic strategy and planning
- Defence strategy, planning, programme, and resource allocation
- relationships with strategic international partners: US, France, Germany, Australia, Ukraine
- One Defence Reform Programme
- oversight of Veterans
- Service Personnel deaths on duty and letters of condolence
- strategic multilateral programmes – AUKUS and GCAP
- regulatory functions
- Independent Afghan Inquiry
Current role holder
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
Wes Streeting was appointed Secretary of State for Defence on 20 July 2026.
He was previously Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from 5 July 2024 to 14 May 2026. He was reelected as the MP for Ilford North in July 2024.
Previous holders of this role
The Rt Hon Dan Jarvis MBE MP
2026 to 2026
The Rt Hon John Healey MP
2024 to 2026
The Rt Hon Grant Shapps
2023 to 2024
The Rt Hon Ben Wallace
2019 to 2023
The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt
2019 to 2019
The Rt Hon Sir Gavin Williamson CBE MP
2017 to 2019
The Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon
2014 to 2017
The Rt Hon Philip Hammond
2011 to 2014
The Rt Hon Liam Fox
2010 to 2011