The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA; ) is the

government department Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level Executive (government), executive bodies in the Machinery of government, machinery of governments that manage a specific se ...

responsible for managing Mexico's

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and

Air Forces #REDIRECT 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 ...

. Its head is the Secretary of National Defense who, like the co-equal

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

, is directly answerable to the President. Before 1937, the position was called the '' Secretary of War and Navy'' (''Secretaría de Guerra y Marina''). The agency has its headquarters in Lomas de Sotelo,

Miguel Hidalgo Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican Wa ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

.Home
" Secretariat of National Defense. Retrieved on February 15, 2011. "Blvd. Manuel Ávila Camacho S/N. Esq. Av. Ind. Mil., Col. Lomas de Sotelo; Deleg. Miguel Hidalgo, D.F. C.P. 11640." Some key figures who answer directly to the Secretary are the Assistant Secretary, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and all military tribunals. Alongside his role as a cabinet member the Secretary shares, since 2020, the official ''ex officio'' title of "Commanding General of the Mexican Army, Air Force, and National Guard" (''Alto Mando del Ejercito, Fuerza Aerea, y Guardia Nacional'').

Role

Under the Federal Public Administration Act (''Ley Orgánica de la Administración Pública Federal''), the Secretary has the following duties, among others provided by the Constitution and relevant laws of Congress: * Organize and administer affairs of the Army, Air Force and the National Guard and assist in their functions. * Organize and assist in development and enforcement of National Military Service for the Army and Air Force. * Management of the Army, Air Force, National Guard and armed contingents which do not belong to the state's national guard or law enforcement agencies. * Plan, direct and handle mobilization of the country in the event of war; formulating and executing plans and orders necessary for national defense purposes, as well as directing and advising civil defense in both peacetime and wartime scenarios in coordination with the Army, Air Force and National Guard. * Construct and prepare every kind of military buildings for Army and Air Force use, including forts and barracks, as well as administration of barracks, hospitals and other military buildings. * Administer military justice, education and medical services as well as handle necessary benefits for personnel of the Army, Air Force and National Guard. * Acquire and build armaments, ammunition, and all kinds of materials and elements for the use of Army and Air Force, as well as for the National Guard. * Grant permission for an expedition force to enter another country or to allow another country to send their forces to Mexico. * Manage the issuing of licenses to bear firearms with the aim of preventing the use of arms expressly banned in law and also those types of arms restricted by the state for the exclusive use of the Army, Navy and National Guard, with the exception of what is established by the 13th section of Article 30 of the Constitution, as well as the supervision and issuing of permits for the sale, transport and storage of firearms, chemical weapons, explosives and strategic weapons, as well as in the importation and exportation of the same. * Contribute in construction of land and air-based communications lines together with other agencies of the Federal Government. * Organize air-based SAR operations in times of emergency. (Article 80, Civil Aviation Law)

List of secretaries

Sources

External links

Official site of the Secretariat of National Defense

Official site of the Secretariat of National Defense, English versionCitizens' Portal, Official Site of the Mexican Government

Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration
{{Coord, 19.440, N, 99.216, W, display=title, source:dewiki Politics of Mexico

National Defense National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), 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 ...

Military of Mexico

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Defense 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 industr ...

Role

List of secretaries

See also

Sources

External links