The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the highest formal governing body of the British Armed Forces. The Defence Council is delegated the responsibility and powers over "command and administration" of the armed forces by the Crown in their capacity as Head of the Armed Forces.
It was established by the "Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964," which established the Defence Council and transferred to it the responsibilities and delegated powers of the previous separate departments that managed the armed forces prior to 1964.
The Defence Council consists of the Defence Board, its principal committee, as well as the Admiralty Board, the Army Board and the Air Force Board. The Defence Board is chaired by the secretary of state for defence, the minister of the crown with "general responsibility for defence" of the United Kingdom.
Functions Prior to 1964, there were five government ministries responsible for the British Armed Forces: the Admiralty, the War Office, the Air Ministry, the Ministry of Aviation, and a smaller Ministry of Defence. By Orders-in-Council issued under the Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964, the functions of these bodies were transferred to the Defence Council and the Secretary of State for Defence, who heads a larger Ministry of Defence.
The Secretary of State for Defence, who is a member of the Cabinet, chairs the Defence Council, and is accountable to the King and to Parliament for its business. The letters patent constituting the Defence Council vest it with the power of command over His Majesty's Forces and give it responsibility for their administration, or in the words of the letters patent:
In practice, the Defence Council is a formal body, and almost all its work is conducted by the Defence Board. In addition, the three service boards (the Admiralty Board, the Army Board and the Air Force Board), which are sub-committees of the Defence Council meet annually for each service chief to report to the Secretary of State on the health of their respective services.
Membership As of August 2026, membership of the Defence Council is as follows:
Members Title NameMinisters Secretary of State for Defence (Chair) Wes Streeting Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard Minister of State (Minister for the House of Lords) The Lord Coaker Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces) Louise Sandher-Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Veterans and People) Calvin BaileyCivil servants Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence Jeremy Pocklington Director General Finance Aneen BlackmoreMilitary officers Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff General Dame Sharon Nesmith First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff General Sir Gwyn Jenkins Chief of the General Staff General Sir Roly Walker Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Harvey Smyth Commander Cyber & Specialist Operations Command General Sir Robert Magowan
Defence Board The Defence Board is described as the highest committee of the Ministry of Defence, responsible for the full range of defence business other than the conduct of operations. It meets every month and provides strategic direction and oversight of defence matters.
Members Title NameMinisters Secretary of State for Defence (Chair) Wes Streeting Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard Minister of State (Minister for the House of Lords) The Lord Coaker Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces) Louise Sandher-Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Veterans and People) Calvin BaileyCivil servants Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence Jeremy Pocklington Director General Finance Aneen BlackmoreChief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support Andy StartMilitary officers and officials Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff General Dame Sharon NesmithNon-executive board members Lead Non-Executive Board Member Brian McBride Chair of the Defence Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Dr Brian Gilvary Lead Non-Executive Director to the Defence Nuclear Board Robin Marshall Chair of the People Committee Kate Guthrie
References
External links Ministry of Defence Our Governance