The Ministry of Defense ( es, Ministerio de Defensa; MINDEF) of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
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
Justo José de Urquiza y García (; October 18, 1801 – April 11, 1870) was an Argentine general and politician who served as president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.
Life
Justo José de Urquiza y García was bo ...
(then known as the Ministry of War). The incumbent minister is
Jorge Taiana
Jorge Enrique Taiana (born 31 May 1950) is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician, currently serving as the country's Minister of Defense, since 10 August 2021. Taiana previously served as Foreign Minister in the administrations of President ...
, who has served since 10 August 2021 in the cabinet of
Alberto Fernández
Alberto Ángel Fernández (; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer and professor, serving as president of Argentina since 2019.
Born in Buenos Aires, Fernández attended the University of Buenos Aires, where he earned his law ...
.
History
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.
A major change came into effect on 12 June 2006 when President
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...
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
Jointness is a neologism coined by the United States Armed Forces to describe cross-service cooperation in all stages of the military processes, from research, through procurement and into operations. Today, it is accepted by many advanced militari ...
Structure
*
Estado Mayor Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas (EMC): ''Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces''
*Secretaría de Estrategia y Asuntos Militares: ''Strategy and Military Affairs Secretary''
*Secretaría de Planeamiento: ''Planning Secretary''
*Secretaría de Asuntos Internacionales de la Defensa: ''Defense Foreign Affairs Secretary''
*
Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia Estratégica Militar: ''National Directory for Military Intelligence''
*Dirección Nacional de Derechos Humanos y el Derecho Internacional Humanitario: ''National Directory for Human Rights''
*
CITEDEF (former CITEFA)
*Industrial Complex: (
FMA, Fabricaciones Militares,
Tandanor/Domecq Garcia)
List of ministers
See also
*
Argentine defense industry
The Argentine defense industry has developed, over the years, different programs to improve the armed forces of Argentina. The first major steps to establish a defense industry were made during the Second World War and they received a boost durin ...
*
Argentine Armed Forces
*
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
*
Joint chiefs off Staff
{{authority control
Defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indus ...
Military of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...