Minister of Defence of the Republic of Finland Puolustusministeri Försvarsminister |
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Minister of Defence flag
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Ministry of Defence | |
Member of | Cabinet |
Seat | Helsinki, Finland |
Nominator | Prime Minister |
Appointer | President of the Republic |
Term length | No fixed term up to 4 years de facto |
Formation | 1918 |
First holder | Wilhelm Thesleff |
Website | www.defmin.fi/english |
The Minister of Defence (Finnish: puolustusministeri, Swedish: försvarsminister) is a member of the Finnish Council of State. As the head of the Ministry of Defence, the minister is responsible for the administration of national defence. The ministry is headquartered in Helsinki. The current Minister of Defence is Jussi Niinistö.
From June to November 1918 the post was called Chief of the War Department, and from then until 1922 the post was called the Minister of War.
The President of the Republic is the commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defence Forces. The commander of the military forces is the Chief of Defence.
Finnish Ministry of Defence Offices consists of two wings: