Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence

• Leading defence (with CDS);
• Setting strategy for defence, including corporate strategy (subject to ministers’ direction, and together with CDS);
• Heading the Department of State and the MOD Civil Service;
• Providing policy advice to ministers and leading the relationship with other government departments;
• The overall organisation, management and staffing of defence;
• Performing the full range of Accounting Officer responsibilities, including the delegation of financial and other authority and accountability to senior colleagues, with personal accountability to Parliament for the economic, efficient and effective use of defence resources. [8]

The Permanent Secretaries at the earlier Ministry of Defence (1947–1964):[9]

• 1947: Sir Henry Wilson Smith
• 1948: Sir Harold Parker
• 1956: Sir Richard Powell
• 1960: Sir Edward Playfair
• 1961: Sir Robert Scott
• 1964: Sir Henry Hardman

• Henry Hardman (1964–1966)[10]
• James Dunnett (1966–1974)[10]
• Michael Cary (1974–1976)[10]
• Frank Cooper (1976–1982)[10]
• Clive Whitmore (1982–1988)[10]
• Michael Quinlan (1988–1992)[10]
• Christopher France (1992–1995)[10]
• Richard Mottram (1995–1998)[11]
• Kevin Tebbit (1998–2005)
• Bill Jeffrey (2005–2010)
• Ursula Brennan (2010–2012)
• Jon Thompson (2012–2016)
• Stephen Lovegrove (2016–2021)
• David Williams (2021–)[4]