# Ministry of Defense (Venezuela)

The Venezuelan Ministry of People's Power for Defense (Spanish: Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Defensa) is the federal-level organization responsible for maintaining the Venezuelan armed forces. As of October 2014, this ministry is headed by General Vladimir Padrino López. The ministry coordinates numerous counter-narcotics operations (e.g., Operation Sierra through the CUFAN organ), helps perform various civil support and social development programs, and oversees the conventional military capabilities of Venezuela.

## History

* 1810 Established as War and Navy Bureau
* 1863 Ministry of War
* 1874 Ministry of War and Navy
* 1946 Became Ministry of National Defense
* 1951 Name amended to Ministry of Defense
* 2007 Renamed Ministry of People's Power for Defense by presidential decree

## Lists of ministers of defense

Ministers of defense of the Republic of Venezuela :
| # | Minister | Period | Period | President |
| # | Minister | Beginning of term | End of term | President |
| 1 | Commander Lino de Clemente | 1810 | 1812 | Cristóbal Mendoza |
| 2 | Commander Lino de Clemente | 1812 | 1812 | Francisco Espejo |
| 3 | Commander Lino de Clemente | 1812 | 1812 | Francisco de Miranda |
| 4 | Commander Lino de Clemente | 1813 | 1814 | Simón Bolívar |
| 5 | Tomás Montilla | 1817 | 1821 | Simón Bolívar |
| 6 | Major General Pedro Briceño Méndez | 1821 | 1825 | Simón Bolívar |
| 7 | Lieutenant General Carlos Soublette | 1825 | 1828 | Simón Bolívar |
| 8 | Genera lRafael Urdaneta | 1828 | 1829 | Simón Bolívar |
| 9 | Lieutenant General Carlos Soublette | 1829 | 1835 | José Antonio Páez |
| 10 | Francisco Conde | 1835 | 1835 | José María Vargas |
| 11 | Francisco Hernáiz | 1836 | 1836 | José María Vargas |
| 12 | Francisco Hernáiz | 1836 | 1837 | Andrés Navarte |
| 13 | Guillermo Smith | 1837 | 1839 | Carlos Soublette |
| 14 | General Rafael Urdaneta | 1839 | 1843 | José Antonio Páez |
| 15 | General Rafael Urdaneta | 1843 | 1847 | Carlos Soublette |
| 16 | Francisco Mejia | 1847 | 1851 | José Tadeo Monagas |
| 17 | Francisco Mejia | 1851 | 1855 | José Gregorio Monagas |
| 18 | Francisco Mejia | 1855 | 1858 | José Tadeo Monagas |
| 19 | Domingo Hernández | 1858 | 1859 | Julián Castro |
| 20 | Domingo Hernández | 1859 | 1861 | Manuel Felipe Tovar |
| 21 | Lieutenant General Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual | 1863 | 1864 | Juan Crisóstomo Falcón |
| 22 | Major General José Ruperto Monagas | 1864 | 1868 | Juan Crisostomo Falcon |
| 23 | Major General José Ruperto Monagas | 1868 | 1870 | José Ruperto Monagas |
| 24 | José Ignacio Pulido | 1870 | 1874 | Antonio Guzmán Blanco |
| 25 | Major General Joaquín Crespo | 1874 | 1877 | Antonio Guzmán Blanco |
| 26 | Major General Ramón Guerra | 1892 | 1894 | Joaquín Crespo |
| 27 | José Ignacio Pulido | 1899 | 1902 | Cipriano Castro |
| 28 | Ramón Guerra | 1902 | 1903 | Cipriano Castro |
| 29 | José María García Gómez | 1903 | 1903 | Cipriano Castro |
| 30 | Manuel Salvador Araujo | 1903 | 1904 | Cipriano Castro |
| 31 | Joaquin Garrido | 1904 | 1905 | Cipriano Castro |
| 32 | José María García Gómez | 1905 | 1906 | Cipriano Castro |
| 33 | Brigadier Diego Bautista Ferrer (acting) | 1906 | 1906 | Cipriano Castro |
| 34 | Manuel Salvador Araujo | 1906 | 1907 | Cipriano Castro |
| 35 | Major General Diego Bautista Ferrer | 1907 | 1908 | Cipriano Castro |
| 36 | Major General Régulo Olivares | 1908 | 1911 | Juan Vicente Gómez |
| 37 | Manuel Vicente Castro Zavala | 1911 | 1912 | Juan Vicente Gómez |
| 38 | Ismael Pereira Álvarez | 1912 | 1913 | Juan Vicente Gómez |
| 39 | Victorino Márquez Bustillos | 1913 | 1914 | Juan Vicente Gómez |
| 40 | Carlos Jiménez Rebolledo | 1914 | 1922 | Victorino Márquez Bustillos |
| 41 | Carlos Jiménez Rebolledo | 1922 | 1929 | Juan Vicente Gómez |
| 42 | Brigadier Tobías Utribe | 1929 | 1931 | Juan Bautista Pérez |
| 43 | Major General Eleazar López Contreras | 1931 | 1935 | Juan Vicente Gómez |
| 44 | Brigadier Antonio Chalboud Cardona | 1935 | 1936 | Eleazar López Contreras |
| 45 | Major General Isaias Medina Angarita | 1936 | 1941 | Eleazar López Contreras |
| 46 | Brigadier Antonio Chalboud Cardona | 1941 | 1942 | Isaias Medina Angarita |
| 47 | Major General Juan de Cios Celis Paredes | 1942 | 1943 | Isaias Medina Angarita |
| 48 | Carlos Meyer | 1943 | 1943 | Isaias Medina Angarita |
| 49 | Brigadier Manuel Morán | 1943 | 1945 | Isaias Medina Angarita |
| 50 | Major General Delfín Becerra | 1945 | 1945 | Isaias Medina Angarita |
| 51 | Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Delgado Chalbaud | 1945 | 1946 | Rómulo Betancourt |
| 52 | Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Delgado Chalbaud | 1946 | 1948 | Rómulo Betancourt |
| 53 | Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Delgado Chalbaud | 1948 | 1948 | Rómulo Gallegos |
| 54 | Lieutenant Colonel Marcos Pérez Jiménez | 1948 | 1950 | Carlos Delgado Chalbaud |
| 55 | Lieutenant Colonel Marcos Pérez Jiménez | 1950 | 1952 | Germán Suárez Flamerich |
| 56 | Colonel Marcos Pérez Jiménez(acting) | 1952 | 1953 | Marcos Pérez Jiménez |
| 57 | Colonel Oscar Mazzei Carta | 1953 | 1958 | Marcos Pérez Jiménez |
| 58 | Major General Rómulo Fernández | 1958 | 1958 | Marcos Pérez Jiménez |
| 59 | Major General Marcos Pérez Jiménez (acting) | 1958 | 1958 | Marcos Pérez Jiménez |
| 60 | Major General Jesús Castro León | 1958 | 1958 | Rómulo Betancourt |
| 61 | Brigadier Josué López Hernández | 1958 | 1961 | Rómulo Betancourt |
| 62 | Brigadier Antonio Briceño Linares | 1961 | 1964 | Rómulo Betancourt |
| 63 | Major General Ramón Florencio Gómez | 1964 | 1969 | Raúl Leoni |
| 64 | Major General Marín García Villasmil | 1969 | 1971 | Rafael Caldera |
| 65 | Major General Jesús Carbonel Izquierdo | 1971 | 1972 | Rafael Caldera |
| 66 | Gustavo Pardi Dávila | 1972 | 1974 | Rafael Caldera |
| 67 | Homero Leal Torres | 1974 | 1976 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 68 | Francisco Álvarez Torres | 1979 | 1977 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 69 | Francisco Paredes Bello | 1977 | 1979 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 70 | Fernando Paredes Bello | 1979 | 1979 | Luis Herrera Campins |
| 71 | Luis Rangel Burgoing | 1979 | 1980 | Luis Herrera Campins |
| 72 | Tomás Abreu Rescaniere | 1980 | 1981 | Luis Herrera Campins |
| 73 | Bernardo Leal Puchi | 1981 | 1982 | Luis Herrera Campins |
| 74 | Vicente Narváez Churión | 1982 | 1983 | Luis Herrera Campins |
| 75 | Humberto Alcalde Álvarez | 1983 | 1984 | Luis Herrera Campins |
| 76 | Humberto Alcalde Álvarez | 1984 | 1984 | Jaime Lusinchi |
| 77 | Andrés Brito Martínez | 1984 | 1986 | Jaime Lusinchi |
| 78 | José Cardozo Grimaldi | 1986 | 1987 | Jaime Lusinchi |
| 79 | Major General Eliodoro Guerrero | 1987 | 1988 | Jaime Lusinchi |
| 80 | Major General Italo del Valle Alliegro | 1988 | 1989 | Jaime Lusinchi |
| 81 | Major General Italo del Valle Alliegro | 1989 | 1989 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 82 | Major General Filmo López Uzcátegui | 1989 | 1990 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 83 | Héctor Jurado Toro | 1990 | 1991 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 84 | Fernándo Ochoa Antich | 1991 | 1992 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 85 | Iván Jiménez Sánchez | 1992 | 1993 | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| 86 | Iván Jiménez Sánchez | 1993 | 1993 | Octavio Lepage |
| 87 | Iván Jiménez Sánchez | 1993 | 1993 | Ramón J Velásquez |
| 88 | Radamés Muñoz León | 1993 | 1993 | Ramón J Velásquez |
| 89 | Rafael Montero Ravette | 1993 | 1994 | Ramón J Velásquez |
| 90 | Rafael Montero Ravette | 1994 | 1995 | Rafael Caldera |
| 91 | Moisés Orozco Graterol | 1995 | 1996 | Rafael Caldera |
| 92 | Pedro Valencia Vivas | 1996 | 1997 | Rafael Caldera |
| 93 | Rear Admiral (upper half) Tito Rincón | 1997 | 1999 | Rafael Caldera |
| 94 | Major General Raúl Salazar | 1999 | 1999 | Hugo Chávez |
| 95 | Major General Ismael Hurtado | 1999 | 2000 | Hugo Chávez |
| 96 | Major General José Vicente Rangel | 2000 | 2002 | Hugo Chávez |
| 97 | Lieutenant General Lucas Rincon Romero | 2002 | 2002 | Hugo Chávez |
| 98 | Major General José Luis Prieto | 2002 | 2004 | Hugo Chávez |
| 99 | Lieutenant General Jorge Luis García Carneiro | 2004 | 2005 | Hugo Chávez |
| 100 | Vice Admiral Orlando Maniglia | 2005 | 2006 | Hugo Chávez |
| 101 | General Raúl Baduel | 2006 | 2007 | Hugo Chávez |
| 102 | General Gustavo Rangel Briceño | 2007 | 2009 | Hugo Chávez |
| 103 | Lieutenant General Ramón Carrizales | 2009 | 2010 | Hugo Chávez |
| 104 | General Carlos Mata Figueroa | 2010 | 2012 | Hugo Chávez |
| 105 | General Henry Rangel Silva | 2012 | 2012 | Hugo Chávez |
| 106 | Admiral Diego Molero | 2012 | 2013 | Hugo Chávez |
| 107 | Admiral Diego Molero | 2013 | 2013 | Nicolás Maduro |
| 108 | Admiral Carmen Melendez Teresa Rivas | 2013 | 2014 | Nicolás Maduro |
| 108 | General Vladimir Padrino López | 2014 | Present | Nicolás Maduro |