# Secretariat of National Defense

The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA); Spanish: Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional is the government department responsible for managing Mexico's Army and Air Forces. Its head is the Secretary of National Defense who, like the co-equal Secretary of the Navy, 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, Mexico City. 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

| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President |
| 1 | Escamilla, PabloGeneral de brigada Pablo Quiroga Escamilla [es] (1875–1948) | 1934 | 15 June 1935 | 0–1 years | del Río, LázaroLázaro Cárdenas del Río |
| 2 | Figueroa, AndrésAndrés Figueroa Figueroa [es] (1884–1936) | 16 June 1935 | 17 October 1936 † | 1 year, 123 days | del Río, LázaroLázaro Cárdenas del Río |
| 3 | Figueroa, AndrésBrigadier General Manuel Ávila Camacho (1897–1955) | 18 October 1936 | 31 January 1939 | 2 years, 105 days | del Río, LázaroLázaro Cárdenas del Río |
| 4 | Castro, JesúsGeneral de División Jesús Agustín Castro [es] (1887–1953) | 1 February 1939 | 30 November 1940 | 1 year, 303 days | del Río, LázaroLázaro Cárdenas del Río |
| 5 | Castro, JesúsJesús Agustín Castro [es] (1891–1975) | 1 December 1940 | 31 August 1942 | 1 year, 273 days | Camacho, ManuelManuel Ávila Camacho |
| 6 | Castro, JesúsGeneral de División Lázaro Cárdenas (1895–1970) | 1 September 1942 | 31 August 1945 | 2 years, 364 days | Camacho, ManuelManuel Ávila Camacho |
| 7 | Urquizo, FranciscoGeneral de División Francisco L. Urquizo (1891–1969) | 1 September 1945 | 30 November 1946 | 1 year, 90 days | Camacho, ManuelManuel Ávila Camacho |
| 8 | Urquizo, FranciscoGilberto R. Limón [es] (1891–1988) | 1 December 1946 | 30 November 1952 | 5 years, 365 days | Alemán, MiguelMiguel Alemán |
| 9 | Ramos, MatiasGeneral de División Matías Ramos [es] (1891–1962) | 1 December 1952 | 30 November 1958 | 5 years, 365 days | Cortines, AdolfoAdolfo Ruiz Cortines |
| 10 | Olachea, AgustínGeneral de División Agustín Olachea (1890–1974) | 1 December 1958 | 30 November 1964 | 5 years, 365 days | Mateos, AdolfoAdolfo López Mateos |
| 11 | Barragan, MarcelinoGeneral de División Marcelino García Barragan [es] (1895–1979) | 1 December 1964 | 30 November 1970 | 5 years, 364 days | Ordaz, GustavoGustavo Díaz Ordaz |
| 12 | Díaz, HermenegildoHermenegildo Cuenca Díaz [es] (1902–1977) | 1 December 1970 | 30 November 1976 | 5 years, 365 days | Álvarez, LuisLuis Echeverría Álvarez |
| 13 | López, FélixGeneral de División Félix Galván López [es] (1913–1988) | 1 December 1976 | 30 November 1982 | 5 years, 364 days | Portillo, JoséJosé López Portillo |
| 14 | Gardoqui, JuanGeneral de División Juan Arévalo Gardoqui (1921–2000) | 1 December 1982 | 30 November 1988 | 5 years, 365 days | Hurtado, MiguelMiguel de la Madrid Hurtado |
| 15 | Gardoqui, JuanGeneral de División Antonio Riviello Bazán [es] (1926–2017) | 1 December 1988 | 30 November 1994 | 6 years, 0 days | Gortari, CarlosCarlos Salinas de Gortari |
| 16 | Aguirre, EnriqueGeneral de División Enrique Cervantes Aguirre [es] (born 1935) | 1 December 1994 | 30 November 2000 | 6 years, 0 days | Zedillo, ErnestoErnesto Zedillo |
| 17 | Vega, GerardoGeneral de División Gerardo Clemente Vega (1940–2022) | 1 December 2000 | 30 November 2006 | 6 years, 0 days | Fox, VicenteVicente Fox |
| 18 | Galván, GuillermoGeneral de División Guillermo Galván Galván (born 1943) | 1 December 2006 | 30 November 2012 | 6 years, 0 days | Calderón, FelipeFelipe Calderón |
| 19 | Zepeda, Salvador Cienfuegos'General Secretario Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda (born 1948) | 1 December 2012 | 30 November 2018 | 6 years, 0 days | Nieto, Enrique PeñaEnrique Peña Nieto |
| 20 | Sandoval González, Luis CresencioGeneral de División Luis Cresencio Sandoval (born 1960) | 1 December 2018 | 30 September 2024 | 5 years, 305 days | Andrés Manuel López Obrador |
| 21 | Trejo, Ricardo TrevillaGeneral de División Ricardo Trevilla Trejo (born 1961) | 1 October 2024 | Incumbent | 160 days | Claudia Sheinbaum |