| Agency Name: | Ministry of Defense |
| Type: | Ministry |
| Nativename: | Ministerio de Defensa |
| Picture Width: | 200 |
| Picture Caption: | Libertador Building, headquarters |
| Preceding1: | Ministry of War (Argentine Confederation; first creation) |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Argentina |
| Headquarters: | Libertador Building, Buenos Aires |
| Budget: | $ 1,277,651,274,000 (2024) (USD 1.5 billion)[1] |
| Minister1 Name: | Luis Petri |
| Child2 Agency: |
The Ministry of Defense (Spanish; Castilian: Ministerio de Defensa; abbrevriated MINDEF) of Argentina is a ministry of the national executive power that oversees and advises on matters of national defense, including overseeing the Argentine Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defense is one of the oldest ministries in the Argentine government, having existed continuously since the formation of the first Argentine executive in 1854, in the presidency of Justo José de Urquiza (then known as the Ministry of War). The incumbent minister is Luis Petri, who has served since 10 December 2023 in the cabinet of Javier Milei.
Traditionally the minister of Defense, as the Joint chiefs of Staff (Spanish: Estado Mayor Conjunto) which traces back its origin to 1948 had a minor role in all armed forces activities, relegating key decisions to the respectives chiefs of staff.[2]
A major change came into effect on 12 June 2006 when President Néstor Kirchner brought into effect the Defense Law, which had been passed in 1988 as a means to modernize the doctrine of the armed forces and define their role, although successive governments had failed to put it into effect.
The law states that the armed forces will only be used against foreign aggression, and reduces the powers of the heads of the armed services, centralizing whole operational and acquisitions decisions under the authority of the minister of Defense through the Armed Forces Joint General Staff emphasizing Jointness[3]
| No. | Minister | Party | Term | President | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of War and the Navy (1854–1898) | ||||||||
| 1 | Rudecindo Alvarado | Unitarian Party | 5 March 1854 – 7 November 1854 | Justo José de Urquiza | ||||
| 2 | José Miguel Galán | bgcolor=#DC143C | Federalist Party | 7 November 1854 – 5 March 1860 | ||||
| 3 | Benjamín Victorica | bgcolor=#DC143C | Federalist Party | 5 March 1860 – 5 November 1861 | bgcolor=#DC143C | Santiago Derqui | ||
| 4 | Pastor Obligado | Nationalist Party | December 1851 – 12 October 1862 | Bartolomé Mitre | ||||
| 5 | Juan Andrés Gelly y Obes | Nationalist Party | 12 October 1862 – November 1867 | |||||
| 6 | Wenceslao Paunero | Nationalist Party | 1 February 1868 – 12 October 1868 | |||||
| 7 | Martín de Gainza | Nationalist Party | 12 October 1868 – 12 October 1874 | bgcolor= | Domingo Faustino Sarmiento | |||
| 8 | Adolfo Alsina | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 12 October 1874 – 29 December 1877 | Nicolás Avellaneda | |||
| 9 | Julio Argentino Roca | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 4 January 1878 – 9 October 1879 | ||||
| 10 | Carlos Pellegrini | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 9 October 1879 – 12 October 1880 | ||||
| 11 | Benjamín Victorica | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 12 October 1880 – 11 July 1885 | Julio Argentino Roca | |||
| 12 | Carlos Pellegrini | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 11 July 1885 – 12 October 1886 | ||||
| 13 | Nicolás Levalle | bgcolor= | 12 October 1886 – 15 January 1887 | Miguel Juárez Celman | ||||
| 14 | Eduardo Racedo | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 15 January 1887 – 12 April 1890 | ||||
| 15 | Nicolás Levalle | 18 April 1890 – 6 August 1890 | ||||||
| 6 August 1890 – 12 October 1892 | bgcolor= | Carlos Pellegrini | ||||||
| 16 | Benjamín Victorica | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 12 October 1892 – 7 June 1893 | Luis Sáenz Peña | |||
| 17 | Joaquín Viejobueno | bgcolor= | 7 June 1893 – 27 June 1893 | |||||
| 18 | Eudoro Balsa | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 27 June 1893 – 5 July 1893 | ||||
| 19 | Aristóbulo del Valle | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 5 July 1893 – 12 August 1893 | ||||
| 20 | Luis María Campos | bgcolor= | 12 August 1893 – 7 November 1894 | |||||
| 21 | Eudoro Balsa | National Autonomist Party | 7 November 1894 – 23 January 1895 | |||||
| 23 January 1895 – 29 August 1895 | José Evaristo Uriburu | |||||||
| 22 | Guillermo Villanueva | bgcolor= | Independent | 29 August 1895 – 19 May 1897 | ||||
| 23 | Nicolás Levalle | bgcolor= | 19 May 1897 – 12 October 1898 | |||||
| Ministry of War (1898–1949) | ||||||||
| 24 | Luis María Campos | bgcolor= | 12 October 1898 – 8 August 1899 | Julio Argentino Roca | ||||
| 25 | Rosendo Fraga | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 8 August 1899 – 13 July 1900 | ||||
| 26 | Pablo Ricchieri | bgcolor= | 13 July 1900 – 12 October 1904 | |||||
| 27 | Enrique Godoy | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 12 October 1904 – 12 March 1906 | bgcolor= | Manuel Quintana | ||
| 28 | Luis María Campos | bgcolor= | 14 March 1906 – 5 July 1906 | José Figueroa Alcorta | ||||
| 29 | Rosendo Fraga | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 5 July 1906 – 11 July 1907 | ||||
| 30 | Rafael María Aguirre | bgcolor= | 11 July 1907 – 2 March 1910 | |||||
| 31 | Eduardo Racedo | bgcolor= | National Autonomist Party | 2 March 1910 – 12 October 1910 | ||||
| 32 | Gregorio Vélez | bgcolor= | 12 October 1910 – 12 February 1914 | Roque Sáenz Peña | ||||
| 33 | Ángel Allaria | 16 February 1914 – 9 August 1914 | ||||||
| 9 August 1914 – 12 October 1916 | bgcolor= | Victorino de la Plaza | ||||||
| 34 | Elpidio González | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 12 October 1916 – 14 September 1918 | Hipólito Yrigoyen | |||
| 35 | Julio Moreno | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 14 September 1918 – 12 October 1922 | ||||
| 36 | Agustín Pedro Justo | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 12 October 1922 – 12 October 1928 | bgcolor= | Marcelo T. de Alvear | ||
| 37 | Luis Dellepiane | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 12 October 1928 – 6 September 1930 | bgcolor= | Hipólito Yrigoyen | ||
| 38 | Francisco Medina | bgcolor= | 6 September 1930 – 20 February 1932 | bgcolor= | José Félix Uriburu | |||
| 39 | Manuel A. Rodríguez | bgcolor= | 20 February 1932 – 24 February 1936 | Agustín Pedro Justo | ||||
| 40 | Basilio Pertiné | bgcolor= | 30 March 1936 – 20 February 1938 | |||||
| 41 | Carlos Márquez | bgcolor= | 20 February 1938 – 27 June 1942 | bgcolor= | Roberto M. Ortiz | |||
| 42 | Juan Nerón Tonazzi | bgcolor= | 27 June 1942 – 16 November 1942 | Ramón S. Castillo | ||||
| 43 | Pedro Pablo Ramírez | bgcolor= | 16 November 1942 – 4 June 1943 | |||||
| 44 | Edelmiro Farrell | bgcolor= | 7 June 1943 – 24 February 1944 | Pedro Pablo Ramírez | ||||
| 45 | Juan Domingo Perón | 24 February 1944 – 9 March 1944 | ||||||
| 9 March 1944 – 8 October 1945 | Edelmiro Farrell | |||||||
| 46 | Eduardo Ávalos | bgcolor= | 8 October 1945 – 17 October 1945 | |||||
| 47 | Humberto Sosa Molina | 18 October 1945 – 4 June 1946 | ||||||
| 4 June 1946 – 11 March 1949 | bgcolor= | Juan Domingo Perón | ||||||
| Ministry of Defense (1949–1955) | ||||||||
| 47 | Humberto Sosa Molina | bgcolor= | 11 March 1949 – 21 September 1955 | bgcolor= | Juan Domingo Perón | |||
| Ministry of War (1955–1958) | ||||||||
| 48 | Héctor Solanas Pacheco | bgcolor= | 1 May 1958 – 18 June 1958 | bgcolor= | Arturo Frondizi | |||
| Ministry of National Defense (1958–1981) | ||||||||
| 49 | Gabriel del Mazo | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 18 June 1958 – 24 June 1959 | Arturo Frondizi | |||
| 50 | Justo Policarpo Villar | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 25 June 1959 – 26 March 1962 | ||||
| 51 | Rodolfo Martínez | bgcolor= | Christian Democratic Party | 26 March 1962 – 29 March 1962 | ||||
| 52 | Ernesto J. Lanusse | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 29 March 1962 – 30 April 1962 | José María Guido | |||
| 53 | José Luis Cantilo | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 30 April 1962 – 30 August 1962 | ||||
| 54 | Adolfo Lanús | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 30 August 1962 – 5 October 1962 | ||||
| 55 | José Manuel Astigueta | bgcolor= | Independent | 5 October 1962 – 12 October 1963 | ||||
| 56 | Leopoldo Suárez | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 12 October 1963 – 28 June 1966 | bgcolor= | Arturo Illia | ||
| 57 | Antonio Lanusse | bgcolor= | Independent | 28 June 1966 – 11 March 1967 | Juan Carlos Onganía | |||
| 58 | Emilio van Peborgh | bgcolor= | Independent | 24 March 1967 – 8 June 1969 | ||||
| 59 | José Cáceres Monié | MID | 28 June 1969 – 18 June 1970 | |||||
| 18 June 1970 – 22 March 1971 | bgcolor= | Roberto Marcelo Levingston | ||||||
| 22 March 1971 – 9 May 1972 | Alejandro Lanusse | |||||||
| 60 | Eduardo Aguirre Obarrio | bgcolor= | Independent | 9 May 1972 – 25 May 1973 | ||||
| 61 | Ángel Robledo | Justicialist Party | 25 May 1973 – 13 July 1973 | bgcolor= | Héctor Cámpora | |||
| 13 July 1973 – 12 October 1973 | bgcolor= | Raúl Lastiri | ||||||
| 12 October 1973 – 1 July 1974 | bgcolor= | Juan Domingo Perón | ||||||
| 1 July 1974 – 13 August 1974 | Isabel Perón | |||||||
| 62 | Adolfo M. Savino | bgcolor= | Independent | 14 August 1974 – 11 July 1975 | ||||
| 63 | Jorge Garrido | bgcolor= | Independent | 11 July 1975 – 16 September 1975 | ||||
| 64 | Tomás Vottero | bgcolor= | Independent | 16 September 1975 – 15 January 1976 | ||||
| 65 | Ricardo Guardo | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 22 January 1976 – 8 March 1976 | ||||
| 66 | José Deheza | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 12 March 1976 – 24 March 1976 | ||||
| 67 | José María Klix | bgcolor= | 29 March 1976 – 30 October 1978 | Jorge Rafael Videla | ||||
| 68 | David de la Riva | bgcolor= | 5 November 1978 – 29 March 1981 | |||||
| 69 | Norberto Couto | bgcolor= | 29 March 1981 – 12 December 1981 | bgcolor= | Roberto Viola | |||
| Ministry of Defense (1981–Present) | ||||||||
| 70 | Amadeo Frúgoli | bgcolor= | Independent | 22 December 1981 – 1 July 1982 | bgcolor= | Leopoldo Galtieri | ||
| 71 | Julio Martínez Vivot | bgcolor= | Independent | 2 July 1982 – 10 December 1983 | bgcolor= | Reynaldo Bignone | ||
| 72 | Raúl Borrás | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 10 December 1983 – 27 May 1985 | Raúl Alfonsín | |||
| 73 | Roque Carranza | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 27 May 1985 – 8 February 1986 | ||||
| 74 | Germán López | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 8 February 1986 – 2 June 1986 | ||||
| 75 | Horacio Jaunarena | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 2 June 1986 – 8 July 1989 | ||||
| 76 | Ítalo Lúder | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 8 July 1989 – 26 January 1990 | Carlos Menem | |||
| 77 | Humberto Romero | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 26 January 1990 – 31 January 1991 | ||||
| 78 | Guido Di Tella | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 31 January 1991 – 1 March 1991 | ||||
| 79 | Antonio Erman González | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 1 March 1991 – 9 December 1993 | ||||
| 80 | Oscar Camilión | MID | 9 December 1993 – 7 August 1996 | |||||
| 81 | Jorge Domínguez | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 7 August 1996 – 10 December 1999 | ||||
| 81 | Ricardo López Murphy | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 10 December 1999 – 5 March 2001 | Fernando de la Rúa | |||
| 82 | Horacio Jaunarena | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 5 March 2001 – 21 December 2001 | ||||
| 83 | José María Vernet | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 23 December 2001 – 30 December 2001 | bgcolor= | Adolfo Rodríguez Saá | ||
| 84 | Horacio Jaunarena | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 3 January 2002 – 25 May 2003 | bgcolor= | Eduardo Duhalde | ||
| 85 | José Pampuro | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 25 May 2003 – 1 December 2005 | Néstor Kirchner | |||
| 86 | Nilda Garré | Broad Front | 1 December 2005 – 10 December 2007 | |||||
| 10 December 2007 – 15 December 2010 | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner | |||||||
| 87 | Arturo Puricelli | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 15 December 2010 – 30 May 2013 | ||||
| 88 | Agustín Rossi | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 30 May 2013 – 10 December 2015 | ||||
| 89 | Julio Martínez | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 10 December 2015 – 17 July 2017 | Mauricio Macri | |||
| 90 | Oscar Aguad | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 17 July 2017 – 10 December 2019 | ||||
| 91 | Agustín Rossi | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 10 December 2019 – 10 August 2021 | Alberto Fernández | |||
| 92 | Jorge Taiana | bgcolor= | Justicialist Party | 10 August 2021 – 10 December 2023 | ||||
| 93 | Luis Petri | bgcolor= | Radical Civic Union | 10 December 2023 – Present | Javier Milei | |||