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The 'Secretary of State for Defence' is the senior United Kingdom government minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence. It is a Cabinet position.
The post was created on 1 April 1964 and replaced the previous office of Minister of Defence. The former Cabinet positions of First Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Air (responsible for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force respectively) were incorporated into it and the offices of the Admiralty, War Office and the Air Ministry were abolished and their functions transferred to an expanded Ministry of Defence.

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Secretaries of State for Defence

Secretaries of State for Defence

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party
1	Peter Thorneycroft		1 April 1964	16 October 1964	Conservative
2	Denis Healey		16 October 1964	19 June 1970	Labour
3	Peter Carington, Lord Carrington		20 June 1970	8 January 1974	Conservative
4	Ian Gilmour		8 January 1974	4 March 1974	Conservative
5	Roy Mason		5 March 1974	10 September 1976	Labour
6	Frederick Mulley		September 10 1976	May 4 1979	Labour
7	Francis Pym		5 May 1979	5 January 1981	Conservative
8	John Nott		5 January 1981	6 January 1983	Conservative
9	Michael Heseltine		6 January 1983	7 January 1986	Conservative
10	George Younger		9 January 1986	24 July 1989	Conservative
11	Tom King		24 July 1989	10 April 1992	Conservative
12	Malcolm Rifkind		10 April 1992	5 July 1995	Conservative
13	Michael Portillo		5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
14	George Robertson		3 May 1997	11 October 1999	Labour
15	Geoff Hoon		11 October 1999	6 May 2005	Labour
16	John Reid		May 6 2005	May 5 2006	Labour
17	Des Browne		May 5 2006	Incumbent	Labour