diff --git a/g10/delkey.c b/g10/delkey.c
--- a/g10/delkey.c
+++ b/g10/delkey.c
@@ -44,12 +44,23 @@
    Returns true if the search description at DESC is an exact key specification
    that doesn't match the key at PK. */
 static int
-should_skip (KEYDB_SEARCH_DESC *desc, PKT_public_key *pk)
+should_skip (KEYDB_SEARCH_DESC *desc, PACKET *pkt, int subkeys_only)
 {
   u32 kid[2];
   byte fpr[MAX_FINGERPRINT_LEN];
   size_t fprlen;
 
+  if (subkeys_only)
+    {
+      if (pkt->pkttype != PKT_PUBLIC_SUBKEY)
+        return 1;
+    }
+  else
+    {
+      if (!(pkt->pkttype == PKT_PUBLIC_KEY || pkt->pkttype == PKT_PUBLIC_SUBKEY))
+        return 1;
+    }
+
   if (!desc->exact)
     return 0;
 
@@ -57,11 +68,11 @@
     {
     case KEYDB_SEARCH_MODE_SHORT_KID:
     case KEYDB_SEARCH_MODE_LONG_KID:
-      keyid_from_pk (pk, kid);
+      keyid_from_pk (pkt->pkt.public_key, kid);
       break;
 
     case KEYDB_SEARCH_MODE_FPR:
-      fingerprint_from_pk (pk, fpr, &fprlen);
+      fingerprint_from_pk (pkt->pkt.public_key, fpr, &fprlen);
       if (fprlen == desc->fprlen && !memcmp (desc->u.fpr, fpr, desc->fprlen))
         return 0;
       break;
@@ -163,7 +174,8 @@
  * key can't be deleted for that reason.
  */
 static gpg_error_t
-do_delete_key (ctrl_t ctrl, const char *username, int secret, int force,
+do_delete_key (ctrl_t ctrl, const char *username,
+               int secret, int force, int subkeys_only,
                int *r_sec_avail)
 {
   gpg_error_t err;
@@ -256,11 +268,7 @@
           setup_main_keyids (keyblock);
           for (kbctx=NULL; (node = walk_kbnode (keyblock, &kbctx, 0)); )
             {
-              if (!(node->pkt->pkttype == PKT_PUBLIC_KEY
-                    || node->pkt->pkttype == PKT_PUBLIC_SUBKEY))
-                continue;
-
-              if (should_skip (&desc, node->pkt->pkt.public_key))
+              if (should_skip (&desc, node->pkt, subkeys_only))
                 continue;
 
               if (confirm_deletion (ctrl, node->pkt, secret, exactmatch))
@@ -331,7 +339,7 @@
  * Delete a public or secret key from a keyring.
  */
 gpg_error_t
-delete_keys (ctrl_t ctrl, strlist_t names, int secret, int allow_both)
+delete_keys (ctrl_t ctrl, strlist_t names, int secret, int allow_both, int subkeys_only)
 {
   gpg_error_t err;
   int avail;
@@ -342,14 +350,14 @@
 
   for ( ;names ; names=names->next )
     {
-      err = do_delete_key (ctrl, names->d, secret, force, &avail);
+      err = do_delete_key (ctrl, names->d, secret, force, subkeys_only, &avail);
       if (err && avail)
         {
           if (allow_both)
             {
-              err = do_delete_key (ctrl, names->d, 1, 0, &avail);
+              err = do_delete_key (ctrl, names->d, 1, 0, subkeys_only, &avail);
               if (!err)
-                err = do_delete_key (ctrl, names->d, 0, 0, &avail);
+                err = do_delete_key (ctrl, names->d, 0, 0, subkeys_only, &avail);
             }
           else
             {
diff --git a/g10/gpg.c b/g10/gpg.c
--- a/g10/gpg.c
+++ b/g10/gpg.c
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
     aEditKey,
     aDeleteKeys,
     aDeleteSecretKeys,
+    aDeleteSecretSubkeys,
     aDeleteSecretAndPublicKeys,
     aImport,
     aFastImport,
@@ -482,6 +483,8 @@
               N_("remove keys from the public keyring")),
   ARGPARSE_c (aDeleteSecretKeys, "delete-secret-keys",
               N_("remove keys from the secret keyring")),
+  ARGPARSE_c (aDeleteSecretSubkeys, "delete-secret-subkeys",
+              N_("remove subkeys from the secret keyring")),
   ARGPARSE_c (aQuickSignKey,  "quick-sign-key" ,
               N_("quickly sign a key")),
   ARGPARSE_c (aQuickLSignKey, "quick-lsign-key",
@@ -2653,6 +2656,7 @@
 	  case aFullKeygen:
 	  case aEditKey:
 	  case aDeleteSecretKeys:
+    case aDeleteSecretSubkeys:
 	  case aDeleteSecretAndPublicKeys:
 	  case aDeleteKeys:
           case aPasswd:
@@ -4205,6 +4209,7 @@
       case aEditKey:
       case aPasswd:
       case aDeleteSecretKeys:
+      case aDeleteSecretSubkeys:
       case aDeleteSecretAndPublicKeys:
       case aQuickKeygen:
       case aQuickAddUid:
@@ -4492,6 +4497,7 @@
 
       case aDeleteKeys:
       case aDeleteSecretKeys:
+      case aDeleteSecretSubkeys:
       case aDeleteSecretAndPublicKeys:
 	sl = NULL;
 	/* I'm adding these in reverse order as add_to_strlist2
@@ -4500,7 +4506,9 @@
 	for( ; argc; argc-- )
 	  add_to_strlist2( &sl, argv[argc-1], utf8_strings );
 	delete_keys (ctrl, sl,
-                     cmd==aDeleteSecretKeys, cmd==aDeleteSecretAndPublicKeys);
+                     cmd == aDeleteSecretKeys || cmd == aDeleteSecretSubkeys,
+                     cmd == aDeleteSecretAndPublicKeys,
+                     cmd == aDeleteSecretSubkeys);
 	free_strlist(sl);
 	break;
 
diff --git a/g10/main.h b/g10/main.h
--- a/g10/main.h
+++ b/g10/main.h
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@
 
 /*-- delkey.c --*/
 gpg_error_t delete_keys (ctrl_t ctrl,
-                         strlist_t names, int secret, int allow_both);
+                         strlist_t names, int secret, int allow_both, int subkeys_only);
 
 /*-- keygen.c --*/
 const char *get_default_pubkey_algo (void);