The Defence Minister of the Republic of Latvia is the head of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, who is charged with the political leadership of the

Latvian National Armed Forces The Latvian National Armed Forces ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālie bruņotie spēki), or NBS, are the armed forces of Latvia. Latvia's defense concept is based on a mobile professional rapid response force and reserve segment that can be called upon re ...

. The position was re-established in November 1991 following the declaration on the restoration of the country's independence from the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. Since December 2022, the position has been held by

Ināra Mūrniece Ināra Mūrniece (born 30 December 1970) is a Latvian journalist, politician and a member of Saeima. She was Speaker of the Saeima from 2014 to 2022. In 2022 she was succeeded by Edvards Smiltēns. Biography In 2007, she graduated from the Scho ...

. From 1918 to 1922 the officeholder's title was Minister of Protection, and from 1922 to 1940 - Minister of War.

List of Ministers (since 1991)

List of Ministers (since 1991)

See also