In 2012, the position of chairman of the National Defence Commission was replaced by the First Chairman of the National Defence Commission following an amendment to the 1972 Constitution that enshrined Kim Jong-il as eternal chairman of the National Defence Commission after his death in 2011. The same amendment also mandated that the National Defence Commission also consisted of vice chairmen and members, which were elected by the Supreme People's Assembly based on the proposal of the first chairman of the National Defence Commission.