The Ministry of National Defense ( es, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional) is the
cabinet-level
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...
administrative office in charge of "maintaining the independence and sovereignty" of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. It is also charged with planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling and informing the defense policies formulated by the
President of Chile
The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...
. The minister supervises all the
Chilean armed forces
The Chilean Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Chile) is the unified military organization comprising the Chilean Army, Air Force, and Navy. The President of Chile is the commander-in-chief of the military, and formulates policy through the Mi ...
. It is Chile's
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 ...
.
History
During the first days of the independence movements, the senior "secretary" of the respective
Junta
Junta may refer to:
Government and military
* Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones
** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...
would function as the ''Secretary of Government'' with administrative power over the army. The office officially first came to be on 17 March 1814, when then Supreme Director
Francisco de la Lastra
General Francisco de la Lastra y de la Sotta (; October 4, 1777 – May 13, 1852) was a Chilean military officer and the first Supreme Director of Chile (1814).
Biography
He was born in Santiago de Chile, the son of Antonio de la Lastra Cor ...
dictated the
Constitutional Norms approved on that date. It was then named ''Secretariat of War''. It was abolished the same year by the Spanish authorities when, after the
Battle of Rancagua
The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the rebel Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. ...
, they re-asserted royal power.
On 23 October 1818, after independence the secretariat was re-established, but this time with the inclusion of the Department of Navy as a "Secretariat of War and Navy" (1818–1837), though in common usage, the secretaries started to be called ministers when they held both secretariats (War and Navy) concurrently. Later on 1 February 1837 the office was officially renamed "Ministry of War and Navy" (1837–1932). In 1924, War and Navy were separated into two independent ministries, but on 8 July 1932 both branches were reunited again into one ministry renamed "Ministry of Defense", with the addition of the department of Aviation that had belonged to the Ministry of the Interior until that date.
On 28 October 1947, by Decree 2.320, it fell under the purview of this ministry the control of the Supreme Command of National Defense, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Central Purchasing Committee of the Armed Forces, the Civil Defense Forces and the Chilean chapter of the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
. In 1960, the oversight was expanded to include the Superior Council on National Security (Consusena) and the Council of Commanders-in-Chief. According to Decree 200 of 15 April 1976, the oversight was again expanded to include the National Police (Carabineros and Investigaciones).
As indicated before, this ministry has undergone several reorganizations during its long history, reflected in its different names:
* Secretariat of War (1814)
* Secretariat of War and Navy (1818–1831)
* Ministry of War and Navy (1831–1924)
* Ministry of War and Ministry of Navy (1924–1932)
* Ministry of National Defense – First Creation (1932)
:* Ministry of War and Aviation and Ministry of Navy (1932)
* Ministry of National Defense – Second Creation (1932–present)
Organization
The main dependencies of the Ministry are:
* Undersecretary of Defense: in charge of the defence policy
:*
National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies (ANEPE)
* Undersecretary of the Armed Forces in charge of the administratives duties
* Joint Staff Command
Titulars
''Patria Vieja'' period
Ministers of War and Navy
Ministers of War
Ministers of Navy
Ministers of National Defense (First Creation)
Ministers of War and Aviation
Ministers of Navy
Ministers of National Defense (Second Creation, 1932–1990)
Ministers of National Defense (1990–present)
See also
*
Military of Chile
The Chilean Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Chile) is the unified military organization comprising the Chilean Army, Air Force, and Navy. The President of Chile is the commander-in-chief of the military, and formulates policy through the Mi ...
*
Defence Diplomacy
In international politics, defence diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities.
Origin of concept
Defence diplomacy as an organizing concept for defence-relate ...
References
*
*
External links
Official Website of the Ministry of Defense of Chile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry Of National Defense (Chile)
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
National Defense
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attac ...
Military of Chile
Chile, National Defense