Everything about The Defence Council Of The United Kingdom totally explained
The
Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the body legally entrusted with the defence of the
United Kingdom and its
overseas territories and with control over the
British armed forces, and is part of the
Ministry of Defence.
Functions
Prior to
1964, there were five bodies responsible for the 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
Queen and to
Parliament for its business. The
letters patent constituting the Defence Council vest it with the power of command over
Her 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 or on behalf of the three service boards chaired by the Secretary of State which report to the Defence Council, namely the
Admiralty Board, the
Army Board and the
Air Force Board.
Membership
The members of the Defence Council are:
Ministers
Officials
Chief of the Defence Staff
Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Naval Staff and First Sea Lord
Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the Air Staff
Chief of Defence Materiel
MoD Chief Scientific Adviser
Permanent Under-Secretary of State
Second Permanent Under Secretary of State
Sources
Ministry of Defence news item on new letters patent issued to the Defence Council
Further Information
Get more info on 'Defence Council Of The United Kingdom'.
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