Ministry of Defence

A Ministry of Defence or Defense (see spelling differences), also known as a Department of Defence or Defense, is the common name for a part of the government found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments, responsible for matters of defence. Such a department usually includes all branches of the military, and is usually controlled by a Defence Minister, Minister of Defence, or Secretary of Defense.

Historically, such departments were referred to as a Ministry of War or Department of War, although such departments generally had authority only over the army of a country, with a separate department governing other military branches. Prior to WWII, most "Ministries of War" were Army ministries, while the Navy and the Air Force, if it existed as a separate branch, had their own departments. As late as 1953, for example, the Soviets for instance had a "Ministry of War" alongside a "Ministry of the Navy".

The tendency to consolidate and rename these departments to highlight their purpose as providing "defence" arose after World War II. In India, for example, "the name of the War Department was found objectionable in the sense that the concept had an aggressive aspect which was inconsistent with Indian traditions".

Department of National Defence (Canada)

The Department of National Defence (French: Ministère de la Défense nationale), commonly abbreviated as DND, is a Canadian government department responsible for defending Canada's interests and values at home and abroad. National Defence is the largest department of the Government of Canada in terms of budget as well as staff. It also is the department with the largest number of buildings (6,806 in 2015). The Department is headed by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, who is the Department’s senior civil servant, and reports directly to the Minister of National Defence.

The Department of National Defence exists to aid the minister in carrying out his responsibilities within the Defence Portfolio, and provides a civilian support system for the Canadian Armed Forces. Under the National Defence Act, the Canadian Armed Forces is a completely separate and distinct organisation from, and is not part of, the Department of National Defence.

The Department of National Defence is currently headed by Deputy Minister John Forster.

Department of National Defense (Philippines)

The Department of National Defense (DND; Filipino: Kágawaran ng Tanggulang Pambansà, KTP) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for guarding against external and internal threats to peace and security in the country. The Department of National Defense exercises executive supervision over the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), and the Government Arsenal (GA). It is also responsible for disaster preparation and management in the country.

It is headed by the Secretary of National Defense, who is a member of the President's cabinet. The current Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines is Voltaire T. Gazmin as of 30 June 2010.

History

The Department of National Defense or DND was formally organised on 1 November 1939, pursuant to Executive Order № 230 of President Manuel L. Quezon to implement Commonwealth Act № 1 or the National Defense Act of 1935 passed by the National Assembly on 31 December 1935, and Commonwealth Act № 340 creating the department.

National defense

National defense or national defence may refer to:

See also

National Defense (Poland)

National Defense (Polish: Obrona Narodowa, ON) was a volunteer military formation of the Second Polish Republic.

Its units (brigades and demi-brigades, divided into battalions) were subordinated to various Polish corps and armies.

National Defense is most commonly referred through its units (brigades - sing. Brygada Obrony Narodowej (Brygada ON) or battalions - sing. Batalion Obrony Narodowej (Batalion ON); the units were also named by the geographical region they were related to, and if more than one was formed, by Roman numerals, ex. Batalion ON "Lwów II")

National Defense units were composed of volunteers, some reservists and unemployed. They were equipped with second-grade weaponry, and their goal was to support defensive operations of the regular Polish Army. National Defense was created by an order of the Polish Minister of Defense on 5 December 1936; the brigades begun to be formed in 1937.

During the German invasion of Poland in 1939 National Defense mobilized 83 battalions (approximately 1600 officers and 50 000 soldiers).