- Ministry of National Defense (Chile)
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Flag of the Minister of Defence
The Ministry of National Defense (Spanish: Ministerio de Defensa Nacional) is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of "maintaining the independence and sovereignty" of Chile. It is also charged with planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling and informing the defense policies formulated by the President of Chile. The minister supervises all the Chilean armed forces. The current Defense Minister is Andrés Allamand Zavala.
Contents
History
During the first days of the independence movements, the senior "secretary" of the respective Junta would function as the Secretary of Government with administrative power over the army. The office officially first came to be on March 17, 1814, when then Supreme Director Francisco de la Lastra 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, they re-asserted royal power.
On October 23, 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 February 1, 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 July 8, 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 October 28, 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. 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 April 15, 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)
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- Ministry of War and Aviation and Ministry of Navy (1932)
- Ministry of National Defense - Second Creation (1932 - present)
Organization
The main dependencies of the Ministty are:
- Undersecretary of Defense: in charge of the defence policy
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- 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
Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by Andrés Nicolás de Orjera March 14, 1814 July 23, 1814 Secretary of War Francisco de la Lastra 
Manuel Rodríguez Erdoyza August 10, 1814 October 2, 1814 Secretary of War Government Junta Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by 
José Ignacio Zenteno del Pozo February 18, 1817 October 8, 1820 Bernardo O'Higgins José Antonio Rodríguez Aldea October 8, 1820 January 7, 1823 Secretary of War Joaquín Echeverría Larraín January 28, 1823 Secretary of Navy Fernando Elizalde January 7, 1823 Secretary of War 
Agustín Vial Santelices January 28, 1823 April 4, 1823 Secretary of War Government Junta 
Mariano Egaña Fabres Secretary of Navy Juan de Dios Rivera April 4, 1823 July 12, 1824 Ramón Freire Santiago Fernández Barriga July 12, 1824 February 22, 1825 José Ignacio Eyzaguirre Arechavala February 22, 1825 June 18, 1825 Secretary of War 
Francisco Ramón Vicuña Larraín Secretary of Navy Rafael Correa de Saa Lazón June 18, 1825 October 9, 1825 Secretary of War Juan de Dios Vial del Río Secretary of Navy José María Novoa López October 9, 1825 June 21, 1826 Tomás Obejero June 21, 1826 September 26, 1826 Interim 
Luis de la Cruz y Goyeneche September 26, 1826 March 8, 1827 Agustín Eyzaguirre José Manuel Borgoño Núñez y Silva March 8, 1827 July 16, 1829 Ramón Freire José Santiago Muñoz Bezanilla July 16, 1829 November 9, 1829 Francisco Ramón Vicuña José Antonio Pérez de Cotapos November 9, 1829 December 7, 1829 
José María Benavente Bustamante February 20, 1830 September 25, 1830 Appointed by Francisco Ruiz-Tagle Reappointed by José Tomás Ovalle 
José María de la Cruz Prieto September 25, 1830 March 24, 1831 Appointed by Reappointed by Fernando Errázuriz 
Diego Portales Palazuelos March 24, 1831 August 31, 1831 Appointed by Reappointed by José Joaquín Prieto Bartolomé Mujica August 31, 1831 September 19, 1831 Secretary of War Manuel José Calderón Secretary of Navy Diego Portales Palazuelos September 19, 1831 December 4, 1832 Ramón de la Cavareda Trucíos December 4, 1832 April 21, 1835 Diego Portales Palazuelos April 21, 1835 June 7, 1836 Ramón de la Cavareda Trucíos June 7, 1836 March 27, 1841 
Manuel Montt Torres March 27, 1841 September 18, 1841 Interim José María de la Cruz Prieto September 18, 1841 April 20, 1842 Manuel Bulnes 
José Santiago Aldunate Toro April 20, 1842 September 18, 1846 José Manuel Borgoño Núñez September 18, 1846 April 8, 1848 Pedro Nolasco Vidal April 8, 1848 September 18, 1851 
José Francisco Gana September 18, 1851 January 13, 1853 Manuel Montt Pedro Nolasco Vidal January 13, 1853 September 18, 1856 José Francisco Gana September 18, 1856 September 29, 1857 Manuel García Banqueda September 29, 1857 July 9, 1862 Appointed by Reappointed by José Joaquín Pérez Marcos Maturana del Campo July 9, 1862 March 30, 1865 José Manuel Pinto Arias March 30, 1865 September 8, 1866 
Federico Errázuriz Zañartu September 8, 1866 November 13, 1868 Francisco Echaurren García-Huidobro November 13, 1868 August 2, 1870 José Ramón Lira Calvo August 2, 1870 September 18, 1871 
Aníbal Pinto Garmendia September 18, 1871 April 3, 1875 Federico Errázuriz Zañartu 
Ignacio Zenteno Gana April 3, 1875 April 19, 1875 
Mariano Sánchez Fontecilla April 19, 1875 September 18, 1876 
Belisario Prats Pérez September 18, 1876 October 27, 1877 Aníbal Pinto Manuel García de la Huerta Pérez October 27, 1877 August 5, 1878 
Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez August 5, 1878 April 17, 1879 Basilio Urrutia Vásquez April 17, 1879 August 20, 1879 
Rafael Sotomayor Baeza August 20, 1879 June 16, 1880 
Eusebio Lillo Robles June 16, 1880 July 15, 1880 
José Francisco Vergara Donoso July 15, 1880 September 18, 1881 
Carlos Castellón Larenas September 18, 1881 January 18, 1884 Domingo Santa María 
Patricio Lynch y Solo de Zaldívar January 18, 1884 May 7, 1884 
Carlos Antúnez González May 7, 1884 September 18, 1886 Evaristo Sánchez Fontecilla September 18, 1886 November 30, 1886 José Manuel Balmaceda Nicolás Peña Vicuña November 30, 1886 June 28, 1887 Manuel García de la Huerta Pérez June 28, 1887 April 13, 1888 Evaristo Sánchez Fontecilla April 13, 1888 November 2, 1888 Ramón Donoso Vergara November 2, 1888 May 1, 1889 José Miguel Valdés Carrera May 1, 1889 June 11, 1889 Abraham König Velásquez June 11, 1889 October 23, 1889 
Ismael Valdés Valdés October 23, 1889 November 7, 1889 
Luis Barros Borgoño November 7, 1889 January 21, 1890 
José Velásquez Borquez January 21, 1890 August 7, 1890 
Federico Errázuriz Echaurren August 7, 1890 October 15, 1890 José Francisco Gana Castro October 15, 1890 March 29, 1891 José Velásquez Borquez March 29, 1891 August 29, 1891 
Adolfo Holley Urzúa September 7, 1891 December 26, 1891 Revolutionary Junta of Iquique Ventura Blanco Viel December 26, 1891 March 14, 1892 Jorge Montt Luis Barros Borgoño March 14, 1892 July 9, 1892 Luis Arteaga July 9, 1892 September 22, 1892 
Francisco Antonio Pinto Cruz September 22, 1892 April 22, 1893 Isidoro Errázuriz April 22, 1893 August 8, 1893 Manuel Villamil Blanco August 8, 1893 October 6, 1893 Juan Antonio Orrego October 6, 1893 April 26, 1894 Santiago Aldunate Bascuñan April 26, 1894 December 7, 1894 Carlos Rivera Jofré December 7, 1894 August 1, 1895 Ismael Valdés Valdés August 1, 1895 November 24, 1895 Luis Barros Borgoño November 24, 1895 September 18, 1896 
Manuel Bulnes Pinto September 18, 1896 November 26, 1896 Federico Errázuriz Echaurren 
Elías Fernández Albano November 26, 1896 June 26, 1897 Benjamín Vergara June 26, 1897 August 25, 1897 Carlos Palacios Zapata August 25, 1897 December 23, 1897 Patricio Larraín Alcalde December 23, 1897 May 5, 1898 
Ventura Blanco Viel May 5, 1898 December 19, 1898 
Carlos Concha Subercaseaux December 19, 1898 June 27, 1899 
Javier Angel Figueroa Larraín June 27, 1899 September 2, 1899 Carlos Concha Subercaseaux September 2, 1899 November 27, 1899 Ricardo Matte Pérez November 27, 1899 November 3, 1900 
Arturo Besa Navarro November 3, 1900 March 14, 1901 Vicente Palacios Baeza March 14, 1901 May 1, 1901 Wenceslao Bulnes May 1, 1901 September 18, 1901 
Beltrán Mathieu Andrews September 18, 1901 May 6, 1902 Germán Riesco Víctor Manuel Lamas May 6, 1902 November 20, 1902 Francisco Baeza November 20, 1902 April 4, 1903 Ricardo Matte Pérez April 4, 1903 September 1, 1903 Carlos Besa Navarro September 1, 1903 October 23, 1903 Luis Barros Méndez October 23, 1903 January 10, 1904 
Aníbal Cruz Díaz January 10, 1904 March 12, 1904 
Ascanio Bascuñan Santa María March 12, 1904 April 12, 1904 Joaquín Muñoz Hurtado April 12, 1904 October 30, 1904 Ascanio Bascuñan Santa María October 30, 1904 March 18, 1905 Ramón Corvalán Melgarejo March 18, 1905 August 1, 1905 
Luis Uribe Orrego August 1, 1905 October 21, 1905 Manuel Fóster Recabarren October 21, 1905 March 19, 1906 Manuel Covarrubias March 19, 1906 May 7, 1906 Salvador Vergara May 7, 1906 September 18, 1906 Belisario Prats Bello September 18, 1906 October 29, 1906 Pedro Montt José Francisco Fabres October 29, 1906 June 12, 1907 Alejandro Lira June 12, 1907 October 25, 1907 Belisario Prats Bello October 25, 1907 August 29, 1908 
Aníbal Rodríguez Herrera August 29, 1908 January 22, 1909 
Darío Zañartu del Río January 22, 1909 June 15, 1909 Roberto Huneeus Gana June 15, 1909 September 15, 1909 Aníbal Rodríguez Herrera September 15, 1909 June 25, 1910 Carlos Larraín Claro June 25, 1910 December 23, 1910 Arístides Pinto Concha December 23, 1910 January 11, 1911 Ramón Barros Luco Ramón León Luco January 11, 1911 July 11, 1911 Aníbal Rodríguez Herrera July 11, 1911 August 15, 1911 
Alejandro Huneeus García-Huidobro August 15, 1911 January 23, 1912 Alejandro Rosselot January 23, 1912 May 29, 1912 Luis Devoto May 29, 1912 August 8, 1912 Claudio Vicuña Subercaseaux August 8, 1912 January 13, 1913 
Jorge Matte Gormaz January 13, 1913 November 16, 1913 Ramón Corvalán Melgarejo November 16, 1913 September 6, 1914 Alfredo Barros Errázuriz September 6, 1914 December 15, 1914 Ricardo Cox Méndez December 15, 1914 June 7, 1915 Guillermo Soublette June 7, 1915 December 23, 1915 Salvador Vergara December 23, 1915 January 8, 1916 Juan Luis Sanfuentes 
Cornelio Saavedra Montt January 8, 1916 July 1, 1916 
Jorge Boonen Rivera July 1, 1916 November 20, 1916 Oscar Urzúa Jaramillo November 20, 1916 July 14, 1917 Pedro Nicolás Montenegro July 14, 1917 October 13, 1917 Oscar Viel Cavero October 13, 1917 January 18, 1918 Luis Vicuña Cifuentes January 18, 1918 April 22, 1918 Jorge Valdivieso Blanco April 22, 1918 September 6, 1918 Víctor Robles September 6, 1918 November 28, 1918 
Enrique Bermúdez de la Paz November 28, 1918 September 23, 1919 Aníbal Rodríguez Herrera September 23, 1919 November 8, 1919 Germán Riesco Errázuriz November 8, 1919 March 29, 1920 Régulo Valenzuela March 29, 1920 June 16, 1920 Pedro Opazo Letelier June 16, 1920 July 1, 1920 
Ladislao Errázuriz Lazcano July 1, 1920 December 23, 1920 Carlos Silva Cruz December 23, 1920 May 12, 1921 Arturo Alessandri Enrique Balmaceda Toro May 12, 1921 August 16, 1921 Remigio Medina August 16, 1921 November 3, 1921 Samuel Claro Lastarria November 3, 1921 March 22, 1922 Ignacio Marchant Scott March 22, 1922 April 1, 1922 Roberto Sánchez García de la Huerta April 1, 1922 August 29, 1922 Hernán Correa Roberts August 29, 1922 December 21, 1922 José Onofre Bunster Villagra December 21, 1922 January 12, 1923 Gustavo Silva Campo January 12, 1923 March 16, 1923 Jorge Andrés Guerra March 16, 1923 June 15, 1923 
Luis Altamirano Talavera June 15, 1923 January 4, 1924 Alfredo Ewing January 4, 1924 February 1, 1924 Luis Brieba February 1, 1924 July 22, 1924 Luis Gaspar Mora Sotomayor July 22, 1924 September 5, 1924 Juan Pablo Bennett Argandoña September 5, 1924 September 11, 1924 
Luis Gómez Carreño September 12, 1924 December 19, 1924 September Junta Ministers of War
Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by Emiliano Ortiz Vega December 19, 1924 January 23, 1925 September Junta 
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo January 29, 1925 February 22, 1927 January Junta Emiliano Ortiz Vega February 22, 1927 May 23, 1927 Emiliano Figueroa Carlos Frödden Lorenzen May 23, 1927 June 21, 1927 Minister of National Defense Carlos Ibáñez del Campo 
Bartolomé Blanche Espejo June 21, 1927 November 7, 1930 
Pedro Charpin Rival November 7, 1930 July 26, 1931 Carlos Sáez Morales July 26, 1931 August 14, 1931 Appointed by Pedro Opazo Reappointed by Juan Esteban Montero Enrique Bravo Ortiz August 14, 1931 September 3, 1931 Carlos Vergara Montero September 3, 1931 March 5, 1932 Manuel Trucco Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by Luis Gómez Carreño December 19, 1924 January 23, 1925 September Junta Braulio Bahamonde January 29, 1925 December 23, 1925 January Junta Arturo Swett Otaegui December 23, 1925 February 22, 1927 Emiliano Figueroa Carlos Frödden Lorenzen February 22, 1927 May 23, 1927 May 23, 1927 June 21, 1927 Minister of National Defense Carlos Ibáñez del Campo June 21, 1927 August 5, 1930 Edgardo von Schröeders Sarratea August 5, 1930 April 27, 1931 Hipólito Marchant Morales April 27, 1931 July 26, 1931 Calisto Rogers Ceas July 26, 1931 September 3, 1931 Appointed by Pedro Opazo Reappointed by Juan Esteban Montero Enrique Spoerer Jardel September 3, 1931 March 5, 1932 Manuel Trucco Ministers of National Defense (First Creation)
Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by Miguel Urrutia Barboza March 9, 1932 April 7, 1932 Juan Esteban Montero Ignacio Urrutia Manzano April 7, 1932 June 4, 1932 Marmaduque Grove Vallejo June 5, 1932 June 17, 1932 Socialist Junta 
Arturo Puga Osorio June 17, 1932 July 8, 1932 Ministers of War and Aviation
Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by Pedro Lagos Lagos July 8, 1932 September 14, 1932 Carlos Dávila Luis Otero Mujica September 14, 1932 October 3, 1932 Bartolomé Blanche Carlos Sáez Morales October 3, 1932 December 24, 1932 Abraham Oyanedel Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by Francisco Nieto July 8, 1932 August 12, 1932 Carlos Dávila Alberto Barbosa Baeza August 12, 1932 August 13, 1932 José Manuel Montalva Barrientos August 13, 1932 October 3, 1932 Arturo Swett Otaegui October 3, 1932 December 24, 1932 Abraham Oyanedel Ministers of National Defense (Second Creation)
Picture Name Entered Office Exited Office Notes Appointed by 
Emilio Bello Codecido December 24, 1932 April 9, 1938 Arturo Alessandri Francisco Garcés Gana April 9, 1938 September 25, 1938 Interim Emilio Bello Codecido September 25, 1938 December 24, 1938 Alberto Cabero Díaz December 24, 1938 April 13, 1939 Pedro Aguirre Cerda Guillermo Labarca Hubertson April 13, 1939 December 26, 1939 Alfredo Duhalde Vásquez December 26, 1939 October 24, 1940 Juvenal Hernández Jaque October 24, 1940 June 10, 1941 Carlos Valdovinos Valdovinos June 10, 1941 November 21, 1941 Juvenal Hernández Jaque November 21, 1941 April 2, 1942 Jerónimo Méndez Alfredo Duhalde Vásquez April 2, 1942 1944 Juan Antonio Ríos Oscar Escudero Otarola 1944 1945 Arnaldo Carrasco 1945 1946 Manuel Bulnes Sanfuentes 1946 April, 1947 Gabriel González Videla Juvenal Hernández Jaque April, 1947 August, 1947 
Guillermo Barrios Tirado August, 1947 November 3, 1952 Abdón Parra November 3, 1952 1954 Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Tobías Barros Ortiz 1954 1955 Benjamín Videla 1955 1955 Francisco O'Ryan Orrego 1955 1957 Adrián Barrientos 1957 November 3, 1958 Luis Vidal Vargas November 3, 1958 1958 Jorge Alessandri Carlos Vidal 1958 1961 Joaquín Fernández y Fernández 1961 1961 Julio Pereira 1961 1963 Carlos Vidal 1963 November 3, 1964 Juan De Dios Carmona November 3, 1964 1969 Eduardo Frei Montalva Tulio Marambio 1969 1970 Sergio Ossa Pretot 1970 November 3, 1970 Alejandro Ríos Valdivia November 3, 1970 January 7, 1972 Salvador Allende José Tohá González January 7, 1972 July 5, 1973 Clodomiro Almeyda Medina July 5, 1973 August 9, 1973 
Carlos Prats González August 9, 1973 August 23, 1973 
Orlando Letelier Del Solar August 28, 1973 September 11, 1973 Patricio Carvajal Prado September 11, 1973 1974 Augusto Pinochet Oscar Bonilla Bradánovich 1974 1975 Hermán Brady Roche 1975 1978 César Raúl Benavides 1978 1980 Carlos Forestier Hansen 1980 1982 Washington Carrasco Fernández 1982 1983 Patricio Carvajal Prado 1983 March 11, 1990 Patricio Rojas Saavedra March 11, 1990 March 11, 1994 Patricio Aylwin 
Edmundo Pérez Yoma March 11, 1994 1998 Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle 
José Florencio Guzmán 1998 1998 
Raúl Troncoso Castillo 1998 1999 Edmundo Pérez Yoma 1999 March 11, 2000 
Mario Fernández Baeza March 11, 2000 January 7, 2002 Ricardo Lagos 
Michelle Bachelet Jeria January 7, 2002 October 1, 2004 
Jaime Ravinet De La Fuente October 1, 2004 March 11, 2006 Vivianne Blanlot Soza March 11, 2006 March 27, 2007 Michelle Bachelet 
José Goñi March 27, 2007 March 12, 2009 Francisco Vidal Salinas March 12, 2009 March 11, 2010 Jaime Ravinet de la Fuente March 11, 2010 January 13, 2011 Sebastián Piñera Andrés Allamand Zavala January 14, 2011 Additional information
See also
Sources
- República de Chile (1942). "VI. Poder Ejecutivo - Nómina de Gobernantes, Presidentes y Ministros desde la Independencia." (in Spanish). Manual del Senado. 1810-1942. Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Universitaria. http://www.memoriachilena.cl/archivos2/pdfs/MC0027508.pdf. (Spanish)
- Valencia Avaria, Luis (1986) (in Spanish). Anales de la República: textos constitucionales de Chile y registro de los ciudadanos que han integrado los poderes ejecutivo y legislativo desde 1810 (2ª edición ed.). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello. (Spanish)
External links
Chilean Armed Forces
Ejército de Chile (Army) 
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Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Air Force) Categories:- Government ministries of Chile
- Defence ministries
- Ministries established in 1814
- Military of Chile
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