The Defence Academy was formed on 1 April, 2002 to be the focus for all defence and security postgraduate education, training and research in operations, conflict prevention, leadership, management, science, engineering and technology. One of the major components of the Defence Academy is the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS).

The College traces its origins back to 1772 with the founding of the Military Society at Woolwich to study ballistics and explosives, which in 1927 became the Military College of Science. The College moved to its present site at Shrivenham in 1946 and the Royal Charter was granted in 1953 in recognition of its role in the technical education of the army at undergraduate, postgraduate and staff course levels. In 1984, the MoD awarded a contract to Cranfield University for the provision of academic teaching, academic support and research.