ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the status and role of the Defence Secretary and the special nature of the burdens carried by holders of this portfolio. It then goes on to explore the MoD’s dual functional structure as represented by the Permanent Under Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Staff – the Defence Secretary’s two principal advisers who hold equal rank. On this basis, it considers how these key figures interact with each other and with the Defence Board, the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the broader bureaucratic structure before discussing the alleged breakdown of trust in the minister-civil servant relationship in recent years. From this discussion, the account explores different ministerial styles of policy management and the chapter concludes by considering the various practical constraints upon the Defence Secretary’s ability to make policy.
