The Defence Council of the United Kingdom is the supreme governing body of the British Armed Forces.

It was established by the Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964, which statutorily delegated the military authority of the Crown, as head of the Armed Forces, to the Defence Council.

The Secretary of State for Defence, who is a member of the Cabinet, chairs the Defence Council, and is accountable to the King and to Parliament for its business.

The letters patent constituting the Defence Council vest it with the power of command over His Majesty's Forces and give it responsibility for their administration, or in the words of the letters patent: …to administer such matters pertaining to Our Naval Military and Air Forces as We through Our Principal Secretary of State for Defence direct them to execute And to have command under Us of all Officers Ratings Soldiers and Airmen of Our Naval Military and Air Forces…In practice, the Defence Council is a formal body, and almost all its work is conducted by the Defence Board.

[7] It meets every month and provides strategic direction and oversight of defence matters.