Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
MoD Main Building, Westminster | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 April 1964 (as modern department) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Main Building, Whitehall, Westminster, London 51°30′14″N 0°07′30″W / 51.5040°N 0.1249°W |
| Employees | |
| Annual budget | £55 billion; FY 2021[3] |
| Secretary of State responsible | |
| Department executives |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | gov |
The Ministry of Defence is a British government department headed by the Secretary of State for Defence in the Cabinet. It controls the administration of the British Armed Forces.
The present Ministry is a post-World War II creation, joining the Admiralty, the War Office, the Air Ministry and part of the Ministry of Aviation. Ministers of State supervise each of the three armed services, and a Joint Chiefs of Staff committee is led by the professional heads of the three services.
History
Before 1964, the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force had their own departments. During and after World War I and II, leaders thought there should be more cooperation between them.[4] In 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill created the role of Minister of Defence, but it was combined with the job of Prime Minister. In 1946, the Ministry of Defence became its own department with its own minister.
References
- ↑ "MOD biannual civilian personnel report: 2021". Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ↑ "UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics 1 October 2021". Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ↑ "Budget 2020". HM Treasury. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ↑ Chester, D.N. (1968). The Organisation of British Central Government 1914–1964. George Allen & Unwin.