LONDON — Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Procurement Minister Philip Dunne will both continue in their pre-election posts under the new government being formed by the ruling Conservative Party following the May 7 general election.
The British MoD will also get its first female armed forces minister with the appointment of Penny Mordaunt to the post.
One political analyst said Prime Minister David Cameron had gone went for consistency in his re-appointment of Fallon and Dunne at a time when the MoD faces the immediate challenge of trying to protect the department from further budget cuts and a strategic defense and security review.
"They are people who have a good track record in their old jobs at defense and they will provide consistency during what may be a difficult time with talk of budget reductions and a strategy review," he said.
Fallon was appointed as defense secretary in the middle of last year with many analysts and others reckoning he would be only a caretaker until the election.
As it's turned out, the general opinion is Fallon has done a good job at a difficult time with the government's failure to commit to the NATO spending targets beyond this year, reductions in the size of the armed forces, recruitment of additional reserves and other issues creating problems.
Mordaunt's arrival at the MoD is confirmation of her status as a Conservative high-flyer, having become a member of Parliament only in 2010.
Despite her relative inexperience as a politician, she is well versed in defense matters.
She is an MP in Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy, and has been a member of the Parliamentary Defence Committee and the private parliamentary secretary for the then-Defence Secretary Philip Hammond before moving to a junior position in the communities and local government department last year.
The daughter of a British paratrooper, one of her little known early roles was as a magician's assistant, a skill that may stand her in good stead as she takes on her responsibilities for training and force generation, operations and operational policy.
She gained minor notoriety last year when she managed to mention the word "cock" six times during a speech in Parliament on chicken welfare as part of a bet with naval officers.
Email: achuter@defensenews.com
Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.
