# Minister of Defence (Norway)

The Norwegian Minister of Defence is the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence. The position has existed since 1814. The incumbent minister since 4 February 2025 is Tore O. Sandvik of the Labour Party.
Between 1819 and 1885 the Ministry was split into two different ministries, the Ministry of the Navy and the Army Ministry.

## List of Norwegian Ministers of Defence (1814–1885)

| Name | From | To |
| The position was named Chief of 6th Ministry from 1814 to 1818 |||
| Diderik Hegermann | 1814 | 1816 |
| Peter Motzfeldt | 1816 | 1818 |
| Mathias Sommerhielm | 1818 | 1819 |
| The position was named Minister of the Army from 1818 to 1885 |||
| Jonas Collett | 1819 | 1819 |
| Nicolai Krog | 1822 | 1825 |
| Jørgen Herman Vogt | 1825 | 1826 |
| Nicolai Krog | 1826 | 1828 |
| Thomas Fasting | 1828 | 1829 |
| Nicolai Krog | 1839 | 1832 |
| Thomas Fasting | 1832 | 1833 |
| Nicolai Krog | 1833 | 1835 |
| Valentin Sibbern | 1835 | 1836 |
| Nicolai Krog | 1836 | 1837 |
| Palle Rømer Fleischer | 1837 | 1839 |
| Oluf Borch de Schouboe | 1839 | 1839 |
| Valentin Sibbern | 1839 | 1840 |
| Palle Rømer Fleischer | 1840 | 1842 |
| Oluf Borch de Schouboe | 1842 | 1843 |
| Palle Rømer Fleischer | 1843 | 1846 |
| Valentin Sibbern | 1846 | 1847 |
| Palle Rømer Fleischer | 1847 | 1848 |
| Thomas Edvard von Westen Sylow | 1848 | 1851 |
| Hans Christian Petersen | 1851 | 1852 |
| Ole Wilhelm Erichsen | 1852 | 1852 |
| Hans Christian Petersen | 1852 | 1853 |
| Thomas Edvard von Westen Sylow | 1852 | 1853 |
| Hans Glad Bloch | 1853 | 1856 |
| Hans Christian Petersen | 1856 | 1857 |
| Harald Wergeland (acting) | 1857 | 1857 |
| Hans Christian Petersen | 1857 | 1857 |
| Hans Glad Bloch | 1857 | 1860 |
| Harald Wergeland | 1860 | 1862 |
| August Christian Manthey | 1862 | 1863 |
| Harald Wergeland | 1863 | 1866 |
| August Christian Manthey | 1866 | 1867 |
| Harald Wergeland | 1867 | 1868 |
| Niels Christian Irgens | 1868 | 1872 |
| August Christian Manthey | 1872 | 1872 |
| Lorentz Henrik Müller Segelcke | 1872 | 1874 |
| Christian Selmer | 1874 | 1875 |
| Anders Sandøe Ørsted Bull (acting) | 1875 | 1875 |
| Christian Selmer | 1875 | 1875 |
| Anders Sandøe Ørsted Bull (acting) | 1875 | 1875 |
| Lorentz Henrik Müller Segelcke | 1875 | 1877 |
| Adolph Frederik Munthe | 1877 | 1879 |
| Christian Selmer | 1879 | 1880 |
| Adolph Frederik Munthe | 1880 | 1881 |
| Anders Sandøe Ørsted Bull (acting) | 1881 | 1881 |
| Adolph Frederik Munthe | 1881 | 1884 |
| Anders Sandøe Ørsted Bull (acting) | 1884 | 1884 |
| Lars Christian Dahll | 1884 | 1884 |
| Ludvig Daae | 1884 | 1885 |
| The position was named Minister of Defence from 1885 to present |||

## Ministers of Defence (1885–present)
### Key

Christian Democratic Party  Conservative Party  Centre Party  Coalition Party  Free-minded Liberal Party  Independent  Labour Party  Liberal Party

### Ministers

| Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Tenure | Cabinet |
| Johan Sverdrup | Liberal | 1 September 1885 | 13 July 1889 | 3 years, 315 days | Sverdrup |
| Edvard Hans Hoff | Conservative | 13 July 1889 | 6 March 1891 | 1 year, 236 days | Stang I |
| Peter T. Holst | Liberal | 6 March 1891 | 2 May 1893 | 2 years, 57 days | Steen I |
| Wilhelm Olssøn | Conservative | 2 May 1893 | 15 July 1894 | 1 year, 74 days | Stang II |
| Johannes Harbitz | Conservative | 15 July 1894 | 27 April 1895 | 286 days | Stang II |
| Wilhelm Olssøn | Conservative | 27 April 1895 | 17 February 1898 | 2 years, 296 days | Stang II Hagerup I |
| Peter T. Holst | Liberal | 17 February 1898 | 6 November 1900 | 2 years, 262 days | Steen II |
| Georg Stang | Liberal | 6 November 1900 | 9 June 1903 | 2 years, 215 days | Steen II Blehr I |
| Thomas Heftye | Liberal | 9 June 1903 | 22 October 1903 | 135 days | Blehr I |
| Oscar Strugstad | Coalition | 22 October 1903 | 11 March 1905 | 1 year, 140 days | Hagerup II |
| Wilhelm Olssøn | Conservative | 11 March 1905 | 25 May 1907 | 2 years, 75 days | Michelsen |
| Karl Friedrich Griffin Dawes | Liberal | 23 October 1907 | 19 March 1908 | 148 days | Løvland |
| Thomas Heftye | Liberal | 19 March 1908 | 11 April 1908 | 23 days | Knudsen I |
| Haakon D. Lowzow | Liberal | 11 April 1908 | 20 August 1909 | 1 year, 131 days | Knudsen I |
| August Spørck | Liberal | 20 August 1909 | 2 February 1910 | 166 days | Knudsen I |
| Karl Bull | Conservative | 2 February 1910 | 20 February 1912 | 2 years, 18 days | Konow |
| Jens Bratlie | Conservative | 20 February 1912 | 31 January 1913 | 346 days | Bratlie |
| Hans Vilhelm Keilhau | Liberal | 31 January 1913 | 8 August 1914 | 1 year, 189 days | Knudsen II |
| Christian T. Holtfodt | Liberal | 8 August 1914 | 20 February 1919 | 4 years, 196 days | Knudsen II |
| Rudolf Peersen | Liberal | 20 February 1919 | 17 June 1919 | 117 days | Knudsen II |
| Ivar Aavatsmark | Liberal | 17 June 1919 | 21 June 1920 | 1 year, 4 days | Knudsen II |
| Karl Wilhelm Wefring | Free-minded Liberal | 21 June 1920 | 22 June 1921 | 1 year, 1 day | Bahr Halvorsen I |
| Ivar Aavatsmark | Liberal | 22 June 1921 | 6 March 1923 | 1 year, 257 days | Blehr II |
| Karl Wilhelm Wefring | Free-minded Liberal | 6 March 1923 | 25 July 1924 | 1 year, 141 days | Bahr Halvorsen II Berge |
| Rolf Jacobsen | Liberal | 25 July 1924 | 5 March 1926 | 1 year, 223 days | Mowinckel I |
| Karl Wilhelm Wefring | Free-minded Liberal | 5 March 1926 | 26 July 1926 | 143 days | Lykke |
| Ingolf Elster Christensen | Conservative | 26 July 1926 | 28 January 1928 | 1 year, 186 days | Lykke |
| Fredrik Monsen | Labour | 28 January 1928 | 15 February 1928 | 18 days | Hornsrud |
| Torgeir Anderssen-Rysst | Liberal | 28 January 1928 | 12 May 1931 | 3 years, 104 days | Mowinckel II |
| Vidkun Quisling | Independent | 12 May 1931 | 3 March 1933 | 1 year, 295 days | Kolstad Hundseid |
| Jens Isak Kobro | Liberal | 3 March 1933 | 20 March 1935 | 2 years, 17 days | Mowinckel III |
| Fredrik Monsen | Labour | 20 March 1935 | 22 December 1939 | 4 years, 277 days | Nygaardsvold |
| Birger Ljungberg | Conservative | 22 December 1939 | 20 March 1942 | 2 years, 88 days | Nygaardsvold |
| Oscar Torp | Labour | 20 March 1942 | 5 November 1945 | 3 years, 230 days | Nygaardsvold Gerhardsen I |
| Jens Christian Hauge | Labour | 5 November 1945 | 5 January 1952 | 6 years, 61 days | Gerhardsen II Torp |
| Nils Langhelle | Labour | 5 January 1952 | 15 June 1954 | 2 years, 161 days | Torp |
| Kai Birger Knudsen | Labour | 15 June 1954 | 22 January 1955 | 221 days | Torp |
| Nils Handal | Labour | 22 January 1955 | 18 February 1961 | 6 years, 27 days | Gerhardsen III |
| Gudmund Harlem | Labour | 18 February 1961 | 28 August 1963 | 2 years, 191 days | Gerhardsen III |
| Håkon Kyllingmark | Conservative | 28 August 1963 | 25 September 1963 | 28 days | Lyng |
| Gudmund Harlem | Labour | 25 September 1963 | 12 October 1965 | 2 years, 17 days | Gerhardsen IV |
| Otto Grieg Tidemand | Conservative | 12 October 1965 | 5 June 1970 | 4 years, 236 days | Borten |
| Gunnar Hellesen | Conservative | 5 June 1970 | 17 March 1971 | 285 days | Borten |
| Alv Jakob Fostervoll | Labour | 17 March 1971 | 18 October 1972 | 1 year, 215 days | Bratteli I |
| Johan Kleppe | Liberal | 18 October 1972 | 16 October 1973 | 363 days | Korvald |
| Alv Jakob Fostervoll | Labour | 16 October 1973 | 15 January 1976 | 2 years, 91 days | Bratteli II |
| Rolf Arthur Hansen | Labour | 15 January 1976 | 8 October 1979 | 3 years, 266 days | Nordli |
| Thorvald Stoltenberg | Labour | 8 October 1979 | 14 October 1981 | 2 years, 6 days | Nordli Brundtland I |
| Anders C. Sjaastad | Conservative | 14 October 1981 | 25 April 1986 | 4 years, 193 days | Willoch I-II |
| Rolf Presthus | Conservative | 25 April 1986 | 9 May 1986 | 14 days | Willoch II |
| Johan Jørgen Holst | Labour | 9 May 1986 | 16 October 1989 | 3 years, 160 days | Brundtland II |
| Per Ditlev-Simonsen | Conservative | 16 October 1989 | 3 November 1990 | 1 year, 18 days | Syse |
| Johan Jørgen Holst | Labour | 3 November 1990 | 2 April 1993 | 2 years, 150 days | Brundtland III |
| Jørgen Kosmo | Labour | 2 April 1993 | 17 October 1997 | 4 years, 198 days | Brundtland III Jagland |
| Dag Jostein Fjærvoll | Christian Democratic | 17 October 1997 | 15 March 1999 | 1 year, 149 days | Bondevik I |
| Eldbjørg Løwer | Liberal | 15 March 1999 | 17 March 2000 | 1 year, 2 days | Bondevik I |
| Bjørn Tore Godal | Labour | 17 March 2000 | 19 October 2001 | 1 year, 216 days | Stoltenberg I |
| Kristin Krohn Devold | Conservative | 19 October 2001 | 17 October 2005 | 3 years, 363 days | Bondevik II |
| Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen | Labour | 17 October 2005 | 20 October 2009 | 4 years, 3 days | Stoltenberg II |
| Grete Faremo | Labour | 20 October 2009 | 11 November 2011 | 2 years, 22 days | Stoltenberg II |
| Espen Barth Eide | Labour | 11 November 2011 | 21 September 2012 | 315 days | Stoltenberg II |
| Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen | Labour | 21 September 2012 | 16 October 2013 | 1 year, 25 days | Stoltenberg II |
| Ine Eriksen Søreide | Conservative | 16 October 2013 | 20 October 2017 | 4 years, 4 days | Solberg |
| Frank Bakke-Jensen | Conservative | 20 October 2017 | 14 October 2021 | 3 years, 359 days | Solberg |
| Odd Roger Enoksen | Centre | 14 October 2021 | 12 April 2022 | 180 days | Støre |
| Bjørn Arild Gram | Centre | 12 April 2022 | 4 February 2025 | 2 years, 298 days | Støre |
| Tore O. Sandvik | Labour | 4 February 2025 | present | 27 days | Støre |