Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Responsibilities
- Implementation of relevant SDR Vision and Defence Investment Plan
- Oversight of Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ)
- Global Operations and commitments
- Force Posture and Deployment
- Homeland Defence and the National Conversation
- Ukraine support – operations
- Implementation and delivery of the Uncrewed Systems Centre and Uncrewed Systems Force
- Intelligence
- North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) operations and planning
- Permanent Joint Operational Bases and Overseas Territories
- Crisis response
- Military Aid to Civilian Authority (MACA)
- Armed Forces Bill
- UN Peacekeeping and Human Security Call Out Orders
- Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Reports
Current role holder
Louise Sandher-Jones MP
Louise Sandher-Jones grew up in Leicestershire and studied Chinese at the University of Edinburgh. She was elected the MP for North East Derbyshire in 2024 and appointed Minister for Veterans and People in the Ministry of Defence in September 2025. In June 2026 she was appointed Minister for the Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence.
After a brief stint in the Civil Service, she joined the military in 2013, commissioning into the Intelligence Corps. She was based in Germany and the UK and deployed on operations in Afghanistan.
She left the Army in 2020 and spent short spells in journalism and banking before overseeing intelligence and latterly product development at a company specialising in analysing the impact of natural disasters imagery.
She is married to Jeevun Sandher and enjoys walking in the Peak District with her dog, Nugget.
Previous holders of this role
Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP
2025 to 2026
Luke Pollard MP
2024 to 2025