Minister of State for the Armed Forces

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. It has been held by Luke Pollard since 2024.

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.

Roles
The responsibilities of the minister of state for the armed forces are:


 * Operations and operational legal policy
 * Force generation (including exercises)
 * Military recruitment and retention policy (regulars and reserves)
 * Cyber
 * Permanent Joint Operating bases
 * International defence engagement strategy
 * Lead for defence engagement in Africa and Latin America
 * Human security
 * Operational public inquiries, inquests
 * Youth and cadets
 * Commemorations, ceremonial duties, medallic recognition and protocol policy and casework

List of ministers and under-secretaries
Colour key (for political parties):

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan=3 | Minister ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Prime Minister ! Defence Secretary

! colspan=9 |

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Army

 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * Blank.png
 * Barney Hayhoe
 * 6 May 1979
 * 5 January 1981
 * rowspan=2 | Conservative
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Thatcher
 * rowspan=2 | Pym
 * Blank.png
 * Philip Goodhart
 * 5 January 1981
 * 19 May 1981
 * 5 January 1981
 * 19 May 1981

! colspan=9 |

Minister of State for the Armed Forces
! style="background-color: " | ! style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Blank.png
 * rowspan=2 | Peter Blaker
 * rowspan=2 | 29 May 1981
 * rowspan=2 | 13 June 1983
 * rowspan=7 | Conservative
 * rowspan=7 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=7 | Thatcher
 * Nott
 * rowspan=2 | Heseltine
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | No image.svg
 * rowspan=2 | John Stanley
 * rowspan=2 | 13 June 1983
 * rowspan=2 | 13 June 1987
 * rowspan=3 | Younger
 * style="background-color: " |
 * No image.svg
 * Ian Stewart
 * 13 June 1987
 * 25 July 1988
 * rowspan=3 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=3 | Official portrait of Lord Hamilton of Epsom 2020 crop 2.jpg
 * rowspan=3 | Archie Hamilton
 * rowspan=3 | 25 July 1988
 * rowspan=3 | 27 May 1993
 * King
 * rowspan=4 | Conservative
 * rowspan=4 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=4 | Major
 * rowspan=3 | Rifkind
 * style="background-color: " |
 * No image.svg
 * height=100 width=120|Jeremy Hanley
 * 27 May 1993
 * 14 June 1994
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Official portrait of Sir Nicholas Soames crop 2.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Nicholas Soames
 * rowspan=2 | 14 June 1994
 * rowspan=2 | 2 May 1997
 * Portillo
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg
 * height=100 width=120|John Reid
 * 2 May 1997
 * 27 July 1998
 * rowspan=6 | Labour
 * rowspan=6 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=6 | Blair
 * rowspan=2 | Robertson
 * Portillo
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg
 * height=100 width=120|John Reid
 * 2 May 1997
 * 27 July 1998
 * rowspan=6 | Labour
 * rowspan=6 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=6 | Blair
 * rowspan=2 | Robertson
 * rowspan=6 | Blair
 * rowspan=2 | Robertson
 * No image.svg
 * height=100 width=120|Doug Henderson
 * 27 July 1998
 * 29 July 1999
 * Official portrait of John Spellar crop 2.jpg
 * height=100 width=120|John Spellar
 * 29 July 1999
 * 7 June 2001
 * rowspan=2 | Hoon
 * rowspan=3 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=3 | No image.svg
 * rowspan=3 | Adam Ingram
 * rowspan=3 | 7 June 2001
 * rowspan=3 | 29 June 2007
 * Reid
 * rowspan=2 | Browne
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Bob Ainsworth cropped.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Bob Ainsworth
 * rowspan=2 | 29 June 2007
 * rowspan=2 | 5 May 2009
 * rowspan=3 | Labour
 * rowspan=3 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=3 | Brown
 * Hutton
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Bill Rammell.jpg
 * Bill Rammell
 * 5 May 2009
 * 11 May 2010
 * Ainsworth
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Nick Harvey, Minister of State for Armed Forces.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Nick Harvey
 * rowspan=2 | 13 May 2010
 * rowspan=2 | 4 September 2012
 * rowspan=2 | Liberal Democrats
 * rowspan=5 style="background-color:#DDD" |
 * rowspan=5 | Cameron (Coalition)
 * Fox
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=3 | Hammond
 * rowspan=2 | 4 September 2012
 * rowspan=2 | Liberal Democrats
 * rowspan=5 style="background-color:#DDD" |
 * rowspan=5 | Cameron (Coalition)
 * Fox
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=3 | Hammond

! style="background-color: " |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Andrew Robathan, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the MOD.jpg
 * Andrew Robathan
 * 4 September 2012
 * 7 October 2013
 * rowspan=10 | Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=2 | Official portrait of Rt Hon Mark Francois MP crop 2.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Mark Francois
 * rowspan=2 | 7 October 2013
 * rowspan=2 | 11 May 2015
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=4 | Fallon


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Penny Mordaunt crop 2.jpg
 * Penny Mordaunt
 * 11 May 2015
 * 15 July 2016
 * rowspan=7 style="background-color: " |
 * Cameron (II)


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color: " |
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP crop 2.jpg
 * Mike Penning
 * 15 July 2016
 * 12 June 2017
 * rowspan=4 | May


 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=5 style="background-color: " |
 * rowspan=4 | Official_portrait_of_Mark_Lancaster_crop_2.jpg
 * rowspan=4 | Mark Lancaster
 * rowspan=4 | 12 July 2017
 * rowspan=4 | 16 December 2019
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Williamson
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Mordaunt
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 | Johnson
 * rowspan=2 | Wallace


 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan crop 2.jpg
 * Anne-Marie Trevelyan
 * 16 December 2019
 * 13 February 2020

! colspan=99 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Minister of State for the Armed Forces and Veterans Sept to Oct 2022
! colspan=9 |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Official portrait of James Heappey MP crop 2.jpg
 * James Heappey
 * 13 February 2020
 * 25 October 2022
 * Conservative
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Johnson Truss
 * Wallace

Minister of State for the Armed Forces
! style="background-color:" | ! colspan=9 |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Official portrait of James Heappey MP crop 2.jpg
 * James Heappey
 * 25 October 2022
 * 26 March 2024
 * Conservative
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sunak
 * Wallace
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Leo Docherty MP crop 2.jpg
 * Leo Docherty
 * 26 March 2024
 * 5 July 2024
 * Conservative
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sunak
 * Shapps

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces

 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Official portrait of Luke Pollard MP crop 2.jpg
 * Luke Pollard
 * 9 July 2024
 * Present
 * Labour
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Starmer
 * Healey
 * }