| People's Commissariat of Defence of the Soviet Union | |
| Native Name: | Народный комиссариат обороны Советского Союза |
| Seal: | Coat of arms of the Soviet Union 1.svg |
| Formed: | June 20, 1934 |
| Preceding1: | People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of the Soviet Union |
| Preceding6: | --> |
| Dissolved: | February 25, 1946 |
| Superseding1: | People's Commissariat of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union |
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| Headquarters: | Moscow |
| Minister8 Name: | --> |
| Deputyminister8 Name: | --> |
| Chief1 Name: | Clement Voroshilov |
| Chief2 Name: | Semyon Tymoshenko |
| Chief3 Name: | Joseph Stalin |
| Parent Department: | Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union |
| Child25 Agency: | --> |
| Keydocument6: | --> |
The People's Commissariat of Defence of the Soviet Union was the highest military department of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946.
In the 1920–1930s, the highest military authority of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic/Soviet Union was called the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs.
On June 20, 1934, the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of the Soviet Union was transformed into the All-Union People's Commissariat for Defence of the Soviet Union. On December 30, 1937, the People's Commissariat of the Navy of the Soviet Union was detached from it.
On February 1, 1944, in connection with the adoption of the Law of the Soviet Union on the creation of military formations of the Union republics, the People's Commissariat of Defence of the Soviet Union was transformed from the All–Union People's Commissariat into the Union–Republican. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic has created its own People's Commissariat of Defence.
On February 25, 1946, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union, the People's Commissariat of Defence of the Soviet Union merged with the People's Commissariat of the Navy of the Soviet Union into a single Union–Republican People's Commissariat of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. Under this name, the central authority was designated in documents for less than a month, since in accordance with the Law of the Soviet Union of March 15, 1946 on the transformation of the Councils of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union and Union Republics into Councils of Ministers, it was renamed the Ministry of Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. On February 25, 1947, in accordance with the aforementioned decisions, amendments were made to the Constitution of the Soviet Union.
The printing organ of the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs in the part of the General Staff was the Military Affairs magazine.
The central organ of the People's Commissariat of Defence of the Soviet Union to educate the commanding and rank-and-file staff of the Red Army, to promote combat training tasks and to develop advanced military thought was the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.