Ministry of Defense (Argentina)
| Ministerio de Defensa | |
Libertador Building, headquarters | |
| Ministry overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1854 |
| Preceding Ministry |
|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Argentina |
| Headquarters | Libertador Building, Buenos Aires |
| Annual budget | $ 1,277,651,274,000 (2024) (USD 1.5 billion) |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Child agencies | |
| Website | argentina.gob.ar/defensa |
| Argentina portal |
The Ministry of Defense (Spanish: Ministerio de Defensa; abbrevriated MINDEF) of Argentina 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 (then known as the Ministry of War). The incumbent minister since 10 December 2025 is Lieutenant General Carlos Presti, who had until then served as chief of the general staff of the Army and was appointed by president Javier Milei, becoming the first defense minister to come from a military background since the end of military rule in the country in 1983.