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".

Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania)

The Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublikos krašto apsaugos ministerija) was established in 1990. Its mission, according to its website, consists of: "Implementation of joint policy with NATO, cooperation with foreign countries in defence sector, representation of Lithuania by coordination of international humanitarian law, management of national defence and security financial resources, army provision with armament, equipment and other resources, implementation of personnel management policy, preparation of military reserve, administration of compulsory military draft, preparation of society for civil resistance, planning national mobilisation."

Footnotes

Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China)

The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (MND; Chinese: 中華民國國防部; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guófángbù) is a cabinet-level agency under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China responsible for all defense and military affairs of Taiwan. The MND is currently headed by Minister Kao Kuang-chi.

History

The MND was originally established as Ministry of War in 1912 at the creation of the Republic of China. It was changed to the Ministry of National Defense in 1946. The Law of National Defense and the Organic Law of the ministry were officially promulgated for implementation on 1 March 2002.

On 8 December 2014, the ministry moved out from its building from the previous one at Zhongzheng District to the current one in Dazhi area at Zhongshan District, where it houses the Air Force Command Headquarters, Navy Command Headquarters and Hengshan Military Command Center. The completion of the building had been delayed for nearly two decades due to the compound original architecture and the bankruptcy of the project's original contractor. The planning for the new building and relocation had been done since 1997. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 27 December 2014.

National defense

National defense or national defence may refer to:

See also