Minister of Defence (France)

The Minister of Defence (Ministre de la Défense) is the French cabinet member charged with running the military of France.

A "Secretary of State for War" was one of the four specialised secretaries of state established in France in 1589. This Secretary of State was responsible for the Army. In 1791, the Secretary of State became the "Minister of War". Along with the other ministerial positions, it was abolished in 1794 and restored the next year. In the 1930s, the position was frequently named "Minister of War and of National Defence". After the Second World War, the War Ministry merged with the Ministry of the Navy, absorbing the role of the Minister of the Navy and Colonies, with a Minister of National Defence, and from 1974 a Minister of Defence (except for 2010 to 2012, when the office was styled as Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs) directing the entire military.

The current Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs is Jean-Yves Le Drian.