The membership of the Defence Select Committee in the previous Parliament was as follows:
| Member | Constituency | Party |
|---|
| Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP (Chair) | North East Hampshire | Conservative |
| Mr David S Borrow MP | South Ribble | Labour |
| Mr David Crausby MP | Bolton North East | Labour |
| Linda Gilroy MP | Plymouth Sutton | Labour |
| Mr David Hamilton MP | Midlothian | Labour |
| Mr Mike Hancock MP | Portsmouth South | Liberal Democrats |
| Mr Dai Havard MP | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Labour |
| Mr Adam Holloway MP | Gravesham | Conservative |
| Mr Bernard Jenkin MP | North Essex | Conservative |
| Mr Brian Jenkins MP | Tamworth | Labour |
| Mr Kevan Jones MP | Durham North | Labour |
| Robert Key MP | Salisbury | Conservative |
| Willie Rennie MP | Dunfermline and West Fife | Liberal Democrats |
| Mrs Madeleine Moon MP | Bridgend | Labour |
| John Smith MP | Vale of Glamorgan | Labour |
| Richard Younger-Ross MP | Teignbridge | Liberal Democrats |