The parliamentary under-secretary of state for the armed forces is a mid-level ministerial position at the Ministry of Defence in the Government of the United Kingdom.
The office sometimes acts as the deputy to the secretary of state for defence, when it is of Minister of State rank. In July 2024, the appointment of Luke Pollard reverted the minister’s title to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.
The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow minister for the armed forces.
Contents
Roles
The responsibilities of the minister of state for the armed forces are:
implementation of relevant SDR Vision and Recommendations
oversight of Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ)
legislation (including Armed Forces Bill)
Northern Ireland Legacy
Ukraine support – operations
autonomy and drones, including Drone Centre of Excellence
Force Posture and Deployment
Intelligence
Global Operational policy and commitments
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) operations and planning
crisis response
Permanent Joint Operational Bases and Overseas Bases (including Cyprus, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar)
Military Aid to Civilian Authority (MACA)
Homeland Defence
UN Peacekeeping and Human Security Call Out Orders
Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Reports
List of ministers and under-secretaries
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
Labour
Liberal Democrats