Defence Council of the United Kingdom

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Defence Council of the United Kingdom
MinistryofDefence.svg
Agency overview
Formed1964
Preceding
  • Defence Board
Jurisdiction Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Headquarters Whitehall, Westminster, London
Agency executive
A sign erected under the auspices of the Defence Council The Thrills and Spills of a Day At The Wash - geograph.org.uk - 318646.jpg
A sign erected under the auspices of the Defence Council

The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the supreme governing body of the British Armed Forces. It was established by the Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964, which statutorily delegated the military authority of the Crown, as head of the Armed Forces, to the Defence Council. It has the power of "command and administration" over the military.

Contents

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. [2]

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, [3] 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:

…to administer such matters pertaining to Our Naval Military and Air Forces as We through Our Principal Secretary of State for Defence direct them to execute And to have command under Us of all Officers Ratings Soldiers and Airmen of Our Naval Military and Air Forces…

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. [4]

Membership

As of August2024, membership of the Defence Council is as follows: [5] [6]

MembersTitleName
Political Secretary of State for Defence (Chair) John Healey MP
Minister of State
(Minister for Defence Procurement)
Maria Eagle MP
Minister of State in the House of Lords Lord Coaker
Minister of State
(Minister for the Armed Forces)
Luke Pollard MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People Alistair Cairns MP
His Majesty's Civil Service Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence David Williams
Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of DefencePaul Lincoln
Director General FinanceAneen Blackmore
Military Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff General Dame Sharon Nesmith
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sir Ben Key
Chief of the General Staff General Sir Roly Walker
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton
Commander Strategic Command General Sir James Hockenhull

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. [7] It meets every month and provides strategic direction and oversight of defence matters. [8]

MembersTitleName
Political Secretary of State for Defence (Chairperson) John Healey MP
Minister of State
(Minister for Defence Procurement)
Maria Eagle MP
Minister of State in the House of Lords Lord Coaker
Minister of State
(Minister for the Armed Forces)
Luke Pollard MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People Alistair Cairns MP
His Majesty's Civil Service Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence David Williams
Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State for DefencePaul Lincoln
Director General FinanceAneen Blackmore
Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support Andy Start
Military Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff General Dame Sharon Nesmith
Non-executive board membersLead Non-Executive Board MemberBrian McBride
Chair of the Defence Audit and Risk Assurance CommitteeDr Brian Gilvary
Lead Non-Executive Director to the Defence Nuclear BoardRobin Marshall
Chair of the People CommitteeKate Guthrie

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References

  1. "Ben Wallace Named New Defence Secretary". Forces Network. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Defence Council". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  3. "No. 43277". The London Gazette . 20 March 1964. p. 2545.
  4. "How Defence Works" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 18. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  5. MOD website
  6. "No. 64139". The London Gazette . 10 August 2023. p. 15970.
  7. "Our Governance". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  8. "How Defence Works (December 2015)" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 16 June 2016.