Defence minister

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The title Defence Minister, also known as Minister of Defence, Minister for Defence, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of National Defense or some similar variation, is assigned to the person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations. The minister usually has a very important role in a cabinet.

When cabinets first started appearing in the late 18th century, the defence ministers were often called "Ministers of War", and were in charge of the land forces of a nation.[citation needed] Since the end of World War II, the title has changed from war to defence, and has often involved putting a single defence minister in charge of all the armed forces.[citation needed] Another common reform which occurred at the end of World War II was to place the defence minister in a national security council or a "Kitchen Cabinet", which allows the head of government or head of state to coordinate military, diplomatic and economic activities.[citation needed]

The Defence Ministry in some countries is a very important ministry, sometimes considered more important than the foreign ministry. If war is common for a country, the minister's position is often assumed by the Prime Minister. (For example, five Prime Ministers of Israel have held the Defence (Security) Ministry during their Premiership). In many nations it is a strong convention that the defence minister be a civilian, in order to highlight civilian control over the military. In less democratic countries, the minister is often an active military official; in several countries the minister also holds the position of Commander of the Armed Forces.

People's Republic of China[edit]


List of defence ministries or departments[edit]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ [1]