The Ministry of National Defense of Uruguay is a

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

of the

Government of Uruguay The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the President of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises execu ...

that is responsible for coordinating and executing all civil and military activities aimed at preserving the sovereignty, independence and the peace of the country. It is the administrative and executive body of the

Armed Forces of Uruguay The Armed Forces of Uruguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas del Uruguay or ''FF.AA. del Uruguay'') consist of an army, navy, and air force. These three branches are constitutionally subordinate to the President of Uruguay through the Minister of Defense. Th ...

. The Ministry is headquartered in the 8 de Octubre Avenue in Barrio Tres Cruces, Montevideo. The current Minister of Defense is Javier García Duchini, who has held the position since March 1, 2020.

History

The General Constituent and Legislative Assembly established after the Preliminary Peace Convention of 1828 appointed

José Rondeau José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (March 4, 1773 – November 18, 1844) was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century. Life and Politics He was born in Buenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved t ...

as Provisional Governor. On December 22, Rondeau appointed

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Eugenio Garzón as Minister of War and Navy, this being the first government department dedicated to the administration of the militia in the newly created Uruguayan State. In 1933 this government department adopted the current name of Ministry of National Defense of Uruguay. In 1987, the headquarters were installed in the old Blixen de Castro Residence on 8 de Octubre Avenue, in '' barrio''

Tres Cruces Tres Cruces is a '' barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Its name means "three crossings", referring to the three major transportation routes which intersect in the area: Avenida 18 de Julio, Bulevar Artigas and Avenida ...

. On March 1, 2005, Azucena Berrutti became the first woman to hold the position of defense minister in Uruguay. On April 1, 2019, President

Tabaré Vázquez Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas (; ''Vázquez Rosas'' locally ; 17 January 19406 December 2020) was a Uruguayan politician who served as the 41st president of Uruguay from 2015 to 2020. He previously served from 2005 to 2010 as the 39th presiden ...

dismissed Minister Jorge Menéndez and the entire Defense leadership after a scandal resulting from the Special Honor Court that tried José Nino Gavazzo.

Armed Forces

* National Army *

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

* National Navy

Structure

* Estado Mayor de la Defensa: ''Defense General Staff'' * Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia de Estado ( es): ''National Directorate of State Intelligence'' * Hospital Central de las Fuerzas Armadas: ''Central Hospital of the Armed Forces'' * Dirección General de los Servicios de las Fuerzas Armadas ( es): ''General Directorate of Armed Forces Services'' * Centros de Altos Estudios Nacionales ( es): ''National High Studies Centers'' * Instituto Antártico Uruguayo ( es): ''Uruguayan Antarctic Institute'' * Dirección Nacional de Meteorología ( es): ''National Directorate of Meteorology'' * Dirección Nacional de Pasos de Frontera: ''National Border Crossing Directorate'' * Supremo Tribunal Militar: ''Supreme Military Court'' * Dirección General de Infraestructura Aeronáutica: ''General Directorate of Aeronautical Infrastructure''

Headquarters

Its current headquarters is the General Artigas Building, formerly known as the Blixen de Castro Residence. The department settled there in 1987 after the democratic transition. The building was designed by the French architect Joseph Carré and dates from the 1910s.

References

External links

Official website
* {{authority control

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 ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Military of Uruguay