# Ministry of Defence (Guatemala)

The Ministry of National Defence (Spanish: Ministerio de la Defensa de la Nación) is the agency of the Guatemalan government responsible for the budget, training and policy of the military of Guatemala. Based in Guatemala City, the Defence Ministry is highly guarded, and the President of Guatemala frequently visits. Prior to 1945 the agency was titled the Secretariat of War (Secretaría de la Guerra).
As of 2024 the Minister of National Defence is Major General Henry Saenz Ramos.

## Structure

The ministry is headed by the Minister of National Defence, who reports to the President of Guatemala, the commander in chief of the armed forces.

## List of ministers of national defence

| Picture | Name | Term of office | Term of office | President(s) served under |
| Picture | Name | Start | End | President(s) served under |
| | Col. Carlos Paz Tejada | | | Juan José Arévalo |
| | Col. Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán | 15 March 1945 | 15 March 1951 | Juan José Arévalo |
| | Col. José Ángel Sánchez | 1954 | 1954 | Carlos Castillo Armas |
| | Col. Enrique Close De León | 1955 | 1957 | Carlos Castillo Armas |
| | Juán Francisco Oliva | 1957 | 1957 | Carlos Castillo Armas |
| | Col. Guillermo Flores Avendaño | 3 March 1958 | 1958 | Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes |
| | Rubén González Siguí | 1960 | 1960 | Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes |
| | Col. Alfredo Enrique Peralta Azurdia | 1960 | 30 March 1963 | Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes |
| | Col. Rafael Arriaga Bosque | 1 July 1966 | 26 March 1968 | Julio César Méndez Montenegro |
| | Rolando Chinchilla Aguilar | 28 March 1968 | 19 February 1969 | Julio César Méndez Montenegro |
| | Brig. Gen. Doroteo Reyes Santa Cruz | 19 February 1969 | after 1 April 1970 | Julio César Méndez Montenegro |
| | Brig. Gen. Leonel Vassaux Martínez | before July 1970 | after 1 January 1972 | Julio César Méndez Montenegro |
| | Brig. Gen. Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García | January 1972 | 1974 | Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio |
| | Brig. Gen. Fausto David Rubio Coronado | 1974 | after 1 April 1975 | Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio |
| | Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García | 1 July 1975 | after 1 January 1977 | Gen. Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García |
| | Gen. Otto Guillermo Spiegeler Noriega | 1 February 1977 | 15 January 1980 | Gen. Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García |
| | Gen. Ángel Aníbal Guevara Rodríguez | 15 January 1980 | 9 August 1981 | Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García |
| | Gen. Luís René Mendoza Palomo | 1981 | 1981 | Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García |
| | Brig. Gen. José Efraín Ríos Montt | 1982 | 1982 | Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García |
| | Gen. Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores | 1 September 1982 | after 15 August 1985 | Gen. José Efraín Ríos Montt |
| | | 8 August 1985 | 14 January 1986 | Gen. Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores |
| | Gen. Jaime Hernández Méndez | 14 January 1986 | 31 January 1987 | Vinicio Cerezo |
| | Gen. Héctor Alejandro Gramajo Morales | 31 January 1987 | 21 May 1990 | Vinicio Cerezo |
| | Gen. Juán Leonel Bolaños Chávez | 21 May 1990 | after 5 September 1990 | Vinicio Cerezo |
| | Gen. Luis Enrique Mendoza García | 14 January 1991 | 13 December 1991 | Jorge Serrano Elías |
| | Gen. José Domingo García Samayoa | 13 December 1991 | 7 June 1993 | Jorge Serrano Elías Ramiro de León Carpio |
| | Gen. Jorge Roberto Perussina Rivera | 7 June 1993 | 28 June 1993 | Ramiro de León Carpio |
| | Gen. Mario René Enríquez Morales | 1 July 1993 | 9 October 1995 | Ramiro de León Carpio |
| | Maj. Gen. Marco Antonio González Taracena | 9 October 1995 | 13 January 1996 | Ramiro de León Carpio |
| | Maj. Gen. Julio Arnoldo Balconi Turcios | 14 January 1996 | 3 July 1997 | Álvaro Arzú |
| | Brig. Gen. Héctor Mario Barrios Celada | 3 July 1997 | 30 June 1999 | Álvaro Arzú |
| | Gen. Marco Tulio Espinoza | 30 June 1999 | 14 January 2000 | Álvaro Arzú |
| | Col. Juan de Dios Estrada Velásquez | 18 January 2000 | 9 January 2001 | Alfonso Portillo |
| | Maj. Gen. Eduardo Arévalo Lacs | 9 January 2001 | 12 December 2001 | Alfonso Portillo |
| | Gen. Leonel Méndez Estrada | 10 December 2001 | 26 August 2002 | Alfonso Portillo |
| | Robin Malconi Moran Muñoz | 26 August 2002 | January 2004 | Alfonso Portillo |
| | Brig. Gen. César Augusto Méndez Pinelo | January 2004 | 7 January 2005 | Óscar Berger |
| | Maj. Gen. Carlos Humberto Aldana Villanueva | 7 January 2005 | 2 November 2005 | Óscar Berger |
| | Brig. Gen. Francisco Bermúdez Amado | 2 November 2005 | 29 December 2006 | Óscar Berger |
| | Maj. Gen. Ronaldo Cecilio Leiva Rodríguez | 29 December 2006 | 14 January 2008 | Óscar Berger |
| | Brig. Gen. Marco Tulio García Franco | 15 January 2008 | 21 December 2008 | Álvaro Colom |
| | Maj. Gen. Abraham Valenzuela Gonzalez | 21 December 2008 | September 2011 | Álvaro Colom |
| | Maj. Gen. Juan José Ruiz Morales | September 2011 | 14 January 2012 | Álvaro Colom |
| | Brig. Gen. Ulises Noé Anzueto Girón | 14 January 2012 | 16 July 2013 | Otto Pérez Molina |
| | Maj. Gen. Manuel Augusto López Ambrosio | 16 July 2013 | 16 July 2015 | Otto Pérez Molina |
| | Gen. Williams Agberto Mansilla Fernández | 16 July 2015 | 1 October 2017 | Otto Pérez Molina Alejandro Maldonado Jimmy Morales |
| | Gen. Luis Miguel Ralda Moreno | 2 October 2017 | 19 December 2019 | Jimmy Morales |
| | Gen. Albin Enrique Dubois Ramírez | 19 December 2019 | 14 January 2020 | Jimmy Morales |
| | Gen. Juan Carlos Alemán Soto | 14 January 2020 | 21 December 2021 | Alejandro Giammattei |
| | Gen. Henry Yovani Reyes Chigua | 21 December 2021 | 14 January 2024 | Alejandro Giammattei |
| | Gen. Henry Saenz Ramos | 15 January 2024 | Incumbent | Bernardo Arévalo |