Secretary of State for Defence
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
Biography
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.
Secretary of State for Defence
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