The minister of state for the armed forces, is a junior ministerial position at the Ministry of Defence in the Government of the United Kingdom. When titled as Minister of State (until the appointment of James Heappey as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in 2020), the office previously acted as the deputy to the secretary of state for defence. In July 2022, Heappey was promoted to Minister of State, with the title of the position reverting to its former name. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow minister for the armed forces.