# Minister of Defence (Italy)

The Minister of Defence (Italian: Ministro della Difesa) is a senior member of the Italian Cabinet who leads the Ministry of Defence. The minister is responsible for military and civil defence matters and managing the Italian Armed Forces.
The first Minister of War was Manfredo Fanti, a General of the Royal Italian Army, while the first Minister of Defence was Luigi Gasparotto, member of the Labour Democratic Party; the current office holder is Guido Crosetto, of the Brothers of Italy party, who has been acting as Defence Minister since 22 October 2022.

## List of Ministers of Defence
### Parties

* 1947–1994:
** Labour Democratic Party
** Christian Democracy
** Italian Republican Party
** Italian Democratic Socialist Party
** Italian Socialist Party
** Italian Liberal Party
** Independent
* 1994–present:
** Forza Italia / The People of Freedom
** Italian People's Party
** Democratic Union for the Republic
** The Daisy / Democratic Party
** Civic Choice / Populars for Italy
** Five Star Movement
** Brothers of Italy
** Independent

### Governments

* 1947–1994:
** Centrist coalition
** Organic Centre-left
** Pentapartito / Quadripartito
** Mixed coalition
* 1994–present:
** Centre-right coalition
** Centre-left coalition
** Mixed coalition
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government | Ref. |
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Party | Government | Ref. |
| | Luigi Gasparotto (1873–1954) | 4 February 1947 | 31 May 1947 | 116 days | | Labour Democratic Party | De Gasperi III | |
| | Mario Cingolani (1883–1971) | 31 May 1947 | 15 December 1947 | 198 days | | Christian Democracy | De Gasperi IV | |
| | Cipriano Facchinetti (1889–1952) | 15 December 1947 | 23 May 1948 | 160 days | | Italian Republican Party | De Gasperi IV | |
| | Randolfo Pacciardi (1899–1991) | 23 May 1948 | 16 July 1953 | 5 years, 54 days | | Italian Republican Party | De Gasperi V·VI·VII | [4] [5] [6] |
| | Giuseppe Codacci Pisanelli (1913–1999) | 16 July 1953 | 17 August 1953 | 32 days | | Christian Democracy | De Gasperi VIII | |
| | Paolo Emilio Taviani (1912–2001) | 17 August 1953 | 1 July 1958 | 4 years, 318 days | | Christian Democracy | Pella Fanfani I Scelba Segni I Zoli | [8] [9] [10][11] [12] |
| | Antonio Segni (1891–1972) | 1 July 1958 | 15 February 1959 | 229 days | | Christian Democracy | Fanfani II | |
| | Giulio Andreotti (1919–2013) | 15 February 1959 | 23 February 1966 | 7 years, 8 days | | Christian Democracy | Segni II Tambroni Fanfani III·IV Leone I | [14][15] [16][17] [18][19] [20] |
| | Giulio Andreotti (1919–2013) | 15 February 1959 | 23 February 1966 | 7 years, 8 days | | Christian Democracy | Moro I·II | [14][15] [16][17] [18][19] [20] |
| | Roberto Tremelloni (1900–1987) | 23 February 1966 | 24 June 1968 | 2 years, 122 days | | Italian Democratic Socialist Party | Moro III | |
| | Luigi Gui (1914–2010) | 24 June 1968 | 27 March 1970 | 1 year, 276 days | | Christian Democracy | Leone II | [22][23] [24] |
| | Luigi Gui (1914–2010) | 24 June 1968 | 27 March 1970 | 1 year, 276 days | | Christian Democracy | Rumor I | [22][23] [24] |
| | Luigi Gui (1914–2010) | 24 June 1968 | 27 March 1970 | 1 year, 276 days | | Christian Democracy | Rumor II | [22][23] [24] |
| | Mario Tanassi (1918–2007) | 27 March 1970 | 17 February 1972 | 1 year, 327 days | | Italian Democratic Socialist Party | Rumor III Colombo | |
| | Franco Restivo (1911–1976) | 17 February 1972 | 26 June 1972 | 130 days | | Christian Democracy | Andreotti I | |
| | Mario Tanassi (1918–2007) | 26 June 1972 | 14 March 1974 | 1 year, 261 days | | Italian Democratic Socialist Party | Andreotti II | |
| | Mario Tanassi (1918–2007) | 26 June 1972 | 14 March 1974 | 1 year, 261 days | | Italian Democratic Socialist Party | Rumor IV | |
| | Giulio Andreotti (1919–2013) | 14 March 1974 | 23 November 1974 | 254 days | | Christian Democracy | Rumor V | |
| | Arnaldo Forlani (1925–2023) | 23 November 1974 | 29 July 1976 | 1 year, 249 days | | Christian Democracy | Moro IV·V | |
| | Vittorio Lattanzio (1926–2010) | 29 July 1976 | 18 September 1977 | 1 year, 51 days | | Christian Democracy | Andreotti III | |
| | Attilio Ruffini (1925–2011) | 18 September 1977 | 14 January 1980 | 2 years, 118 days | | Christian Democracy | Andreotti III·IV·V Cossiga I | [33][34] [35][36] |
| | Adolfo Sarti (1928–1992) | 14 January 1980 | 4 April 1980 | 81 days | | Christian Democracy | Cossiga II | |
| | Lelio Lagorio (1925–2017) | 4 April 1980 | 4 August 1983 | 3 years, 122 days | | Italian Socialist Party | Cossiga II Forlani | [37][38] [39][40] [41] |
| | Lelio Lagorio (1925–2017) | 4 April 1980 | 4 August 1983 | 3 years, 122 days | | Italian Socialist Party | Spadolini I·II Fanfani V | [37][38] [39][40] [41] |
| | Giovanni Spadolini (1925–1994) | 4 August 1983 | 18 April 1987 | 3 years, 257 days | | Italian Republican Party | Craxi I·II | |
| | Remo Gaspari (1921–2011) | 18 April 1987 | 29 July 1987 | 101 days | | Christian Democracy | Fanfani IV | |
| | Valerio Zanone (1936–2016) | 29 July 1987 | 22 July 1989 | 1 year, 358 days | | Italian Liberal Party | Goria De Mita | |
| | Mino Martinazzoli (1931–2011) | 22 July 1989 | 27 July 1990 | 1 year, 5 days | | Christian Democracy | Andreotti VI | |
| | Virginio Rognoni (1924–2022) | 27 July 1990 | 28 June 1992 | 1 year, 337 days | | Christian Democracy | Andreotti VI·VII | |
| | Salvo Andò (born 1945) | 28 June 1992 | 28 April 1993 | 304 days | | Italian Socialist Party | Amato I | |
| | Fabio Fabbri (1933–2024) | 28 April 1993 | 10 May 1994 | 1 year, 12 days | | Italian Socialist Party | Ciampi | |
| | Cesare Previti (born 1934) | 10 May 1994 | 17 January 1995 | 252 days | | Forza Italia | Berlusconi I | |
| | Domenico Corcione (1929–2020) | 17 January 1995 | 17 May 1996 | 1 year, 121 days | | Independent | Dini | |
| | Beniamino Andreatta (1928–2007) | 17 May 1996 | 21 October 1998 | 2 years, 157 days | | Italian People's Party | Prodi I | |
| | Carlo Scognamiglio (born 1944) | 21 October 1998 | 22 December 1999 | 1 year, 62 days | | Democratic Union for the Republic | D'Alema I | |
| | Sergio Mattarella (born 1941) | 22 December 1999 | 11 June 2001 | 1 year, 171 days | | Italian People's Party | D'Alema II Amato II | |
| | Antonio Martino (1942–2022) | 11 June 2001 | 17 May 2006 | 4 years, 340 days | | Forza Italia | Berlusconi II·III | |
| | Arturo Parisi (born 1940) | 17 May 2006 | 8 May 2008 | 1 year, 357 days | | The Daisy / Democratic Party | Prodi II | |
| | Ignazio La Russa (born 1947) | 8 May 2008 | 16 November 2011 | 3 years, 192 days | | The People of Freedom | Berlusconi IV | |
| | Giampaolo Di Paola (born 1944) | 16 November 2011 | 28 April 2013 | 1 year, 163 days | | Independent | Monti | |
| | Mario Mauro (born 1961) | 28 April 2013 | 22 February 2014 | 300 days | | Civic Choice / Populars for Italy | Letta | |
| | Roberta Pinotti (born 1961) | 22 February 2014 | 1 June 2018 | 4 years, 99 days | | Democratic Party | Renzi Gentiloni | |
| | Elisabetta Trenta (born 1967) | 1 June 2018 | 5 September 2019 | 1 year, 96 days | | Five Star Movement | Conte I | |
| | Lorenzo Guerini (born 1966) | 5 September 2019 | 22 October 2022 | 3 years, 47 days | | Democratic Party | Conte II Draghi | |
| | Guido Crosetto (born 1963) | 22 October 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 3 days | | Brothers of Italy | Meloni | |