Ministry of defence

{{Short description|Government department in charge of defence}} {{redirect|Minister of War|specific countries' Ministers of War|Minister of War (disambiguation)}} {{refimprove|date=May 2024}} {{use British English|date=February 2015}} [[File:Ministry of Defense Astana.jpg|thumb|The building of the Ministry of Defense (Kazakhstan)]] A '''ministry of defence''' or '''defense''' (see spelling differences), also known as a '''department of defence''' or '''defense''', is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. Such a department usually includes all branches of the military, and is usually controlled by a '''defence minister''' or '''secretary of defense'''. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in some the minister is only in charge of general budget matters and procurement of equipment, while in others they are also an integral part of the operational military chain of command.

Historically, such departments were referred to as a '''ministry of war''' or '''department of war''', although they generally had authority only over the army of a country, with a separate department governing other military branches. Prior to World War II, most "ministries of war" were army ministries, while the navy and the air force, if they existed as separate branches, had their own departments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Defence |first=UK |date=10 December 2012 |title=History of the Ministry of Defence and the Old War Office |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/history-of-the-ministry-of-defence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128060042/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/history-of-the-ministry-of-defence |archive-date=28 January 2024 |access-date=11 February 2024 |website=GOV.UK}}</ref> As late as 1953, for example, the Soviet Union had a "ministry of war" alongside a "ministry of the navy". The tendency to consolidate and rename these departments, and to coordinate until then mostly separate components of defence (air, land, and navy) arose after World War II.

== Historical == * Department of Defence (1901–1921) (Australia) * Department of Defence (1921–1939) (Australia) * Department of Defence Co-ordination (Australia, 1939–1942) * Department of Defence Production (Australia, 1951–1958) * Department of Defence Support (Australia, 1982–1984) * Ministry of Defence (Artsakh) (1995–2023) * Ministry of Defence (Czechoslovakia) (1918–1992) * Ministry of National Defence (East Germany) (1956–1990) * Ministry of Defence (Republika Srpska) (1992–2005) * Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union) (1953–1992) * Ministry of Defence (1947–1964) (United Kingdom)

==Lists== * List of current defence ministers

==See also== * Chief of defence * Commander-in-chief * Defence diplomacy, the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities * Ministry of War * Secretariat of National Defense, a government department in Mexico * War cabinet

== References == {{Commons category}} {{Reflist}}

Category:Defence ministries Category:Defence ministers Defence Defence