# Ministry of National Defense (Lebanon)

The Ministry of National Defense (Arabic: وزارة الدفاع الوطني Wizārat al-Difāʾ al-Waṭanī) is Lebanon's service section for the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Ministry is located in Yarzeh, Baabda District, Mount Lebanon. The building which is considered the biggest Ministry building in Lebanon was designed by the French architect André Wogenscky in 1968. The ministry building also houses the Lebanese Military Museum.

## Ministers

The ministers of National Defence have been:
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term | Term | Term | Political party |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party |
| 1 | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 25 September 1943 | 9 January 1945 | 1 year, 106 days | Independent |
| 2 | | Abdul Hamid Karami (1887–1950) | 9 January 1945 | 22 August 1945 | 256 days | Independent |
| 3 | | Ahmed al-Asaad (1902–1961) | 22 August 1945 | 22 May 1946 | 242 days | An-Nahda Party |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 22 May 1946 | 14 February 1951 | 4 years, 268 days | Independent |
| 4 | | Hussein Al Oweini (1910–1971) | 14 February 1951 | 7 June 1951 | 4 years, 268 days | Independent |
| 5 | | Rashid Baydoun [ar] (1889–1971) | 7 June 1951 | 2 February 1952 | 353 days | Talaeh Party |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 2 February 1952 | 9 September 1952 | 220 days | Independent |
| 6 | | Nazem Akkari (1902–1985) | 9 September 1952 | 14 September 1952 | 5 days | Independent |
| 7 | | Saeb Salam (1905–2000) | 14 September 1952 | 18 September 1952 | 4 days | Independent |
| 8 | | Fuad Chehab (1902–1973) | 18 September 1952 | 30 September 1952 | 12 days | Independent |
| 9 | | Khaled Chehab (1886–1978) | 30 September 1952 | 30 April 1953 | 212 days | Independent |
| (7) | | Saeb Salam (1905–2000) | 30 April 1953 | 16 August 1953 | 108 days | Independent |
| 10 | | Abdallah El-Yafi (1901–1986) | 16 August 1953 | 1 March 1954 | 197 days | Independent |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 1 March 1954 | 18 November 1956 | 2 years, 262 days | Independent |
| (8) | | Fuad Chehab (1902–1973) | 18 November 1956 | 1 March 1957 | 103 days | Independent |
| 11 | | Sami as-Solh (1887–1968) | 1 March 1957 | 18 August 1957 | 170 days | Constitutional Bloc |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 18 August 1957 | 14 March 1958 | 208 days | Independent |
| (5) | | Rashid Baydoun [ar] (1889–1971) | 14 March 1958 | 22 May 1958 | 69 days | Talaeh Party |
| (11) | | Sami as-Solh (1887–1968) | 22 May 1958 | 24 September 1958 | 125 days | Constitutional Bloc |
| 12 | | Rashid Karami (1921–1987) | 24 September 1958 | 14 May 1960 | 1 year, 233 days | Independent |
| 13 | | Ahmad Daouk (1892–1979) | 14 May 1960 | 1 August 1960 | 79 days | Independent |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 1 August 1960 | 20 May 1961 | 1 year, 79 days | Independent |
| (7) | | Saeb Salam (1905–2000) | 20 May 1961 | 31 October 1961 | 164 days | Independent |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 31 October 1961 | 20 February 1964 | 2 years, 112 days | Independent |
| (4) | | Hussein Al Oweini (1910–1971) | 20 February 1964 | 25 July 1965 | 1 year, 155 days | Independent |
| (12) | | Rashid Karami (1921–1987) | 25 July 1965 | 21 December 1965 | 149 days | Independent |
| 13 | | Michel el-Khoury (born 1926) | 21 December 1965 | 9 April 1966 | 109 days | Constitutional Bloc |
| 13 | | Fouad Boutros (1917–2016) | 9 April 1966 | 6 December 1966 | 241 days | Independent |
| 13 | | Badri al-Maaouche | 6 December 1966 | 8 February 1968 | 1 year, 64 days | Independent |
| (10) | | Abdallah El-Yafi (1901–1986) | 8 February 1968 | 5 July 1968 | 148 days | Independent |
| (5) | | Rashid Baydoun [ar] (1889–1971) | 5 July 1968 | 12 October 1968 | 99 days | Talaeh Party |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 12 October 1968 | 20 October 1968 | 8 days | Independent |
| (4) | | Hussein Al Oweini (1910–1971) | 20 October 1968 | 15 January 1969 | 87 days | Independent |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 15 January 1969 | 13 October 1970 | 1 year, 271 days | Independent |
| 14 | | Edouard Saouma (1926–2012) | 13 October 1970 | 13 October 1970 | 0 days | Independent |
| 15 | | Elias Saba (1932–2023) | 13 October 1970 | 27 May 1972 | 1 year, 227 days | Independent |
| (1) | | Emir Majid Arslan (1908–1983) | 27 May 1972 | 25 April 1973 | 333 days | Independent |
| 16 | | Fouad Ghosn | 25 April 1973 | 8 July 1973 | 74 days | Marada Movement |
| 17 | | Nasri Maalouf (1911–2005) | 8 July 1973 | 31 October 1974 | 1 year, 115 days | National Liberal |
| 18 | | Joseph Skaff (1922–1992) | 31 October 1974 | 23 May 1975 | 204 days | Popular Bloc (Lebanon) |
| 19 | | Iskandar Ghanem (1911–2005) | 23 May 1975 | 1 July 1975 | 39 days | Military |
| (12) | | Rashid Karami (1921–1987) | 1 July 1975 | 15 September 1976 | 1 year, 76 days | Independent |
| 19 | | Camille Chamoun (1900–1987) | 15 September 1976 | 9 December 1976 | 85 days | National Liberal |
| 21 | | Fouad Boutros (1917–2016) | 9 December 1976 | 20 December 1978 | 2 years, 11 days | Independent |
| 20 | | Victor Khoury (1929–2017) | 20 December 1978 | 16 July 1979 | 208 days | Independent |
| (18) | | Joseph Skaff (1922–1992) | 16 July 1979 | 10 July 1982 | 2 years, 359 days | Popular Bloc (Lebanon) |
| 21 | | Issam Khoury | 10 July 1982 | 30 April 1984 | 1 year, 295 days | Independent |
| 22 | | Adel Osseiran (1905–1998) | 30 April 1984 | 22 September 1988 | 4 years, 145 days | Independent |
| 23 | | Michel Aoun (born 1935) | 22 September 1988 | 25 November 1989 | 1 year, 64 days | Military |
| 24 | | Albert Mansour | 25 November 1989 | 24 December 1990 | 1 year, 28 days | SSNP |
| 24 | | Michel Murr (1932–2021) | 24 December 1990 | 31 October 1992 | 1 year, 312 days | Independent |
| 25 | | Mohsen Dalloul (born 1933) | 31 October 1992 | 4 December 1998 | 6 years, 34 days | PSP |
| 26 | | Ghazi Zaiter (born 1949) | 4 December 1998 | 26 October 2000 | 1 year, 327 days | Amal |
| 27 | | Khalil Hrawi [fr] (born 1948) | 26 October 2000 | 17 April 2003 | 2 years, 173 days | Independent |
| 28 | | Mahmoud Hammoud (1935–2018) | 17 April 2003 | 26 October 2004 | 1 year, 192 days | Independent |
| 29 | | Abdul Rahim Mrad (born 1942) | 26 October 2004 | 19 April 2005 | 175 days | Union Party |
| 30 | | Elias Murr (born 1962) | 19 April 2005 | 13 June 2011 | 6 years, 55 days | Independent |
| 31 | | Fayez Ghosn (1950–2021) | 13 June 2011 | 14 February 2014 | 2 years, 246 days | Marada Movement |
| 32 | | Samir Mouqbel (born 1939) | 14 February 2014 | 18 December 2016 | 2 years, 308 days | Independent |
| 33 | | Yacoub Sarraf (born 1961) | 18 December 2016 | 3 February 2019 | 2 years, 47 days | Free Patriotic Movement |
| 34 | | Elias Bou Saab (born 1967) | 3 February 2019 | 21 January 2020 | 352 days | Free Patriotic Movement |
| 35 | | Zeina Akar (born 1964) | 21 January 2020 | 10 September 2021 | 1 year, 249 days | Free Patriotic Movement |
| 36 | | Maurice Sleem (born 1954) | 10 September 2021 | 8 February 2025 | 3 years, 144 days | Free Patriotic Movement |
| 37 | | Michel Menassa | 8 February 2025 | Incumbent | 34 days | Independent |