Minister of Defence (Finland)

Minister of Defence of the Republic of Finland
Puolustusministeri
Försvarsminister
Flag of the Minister of Defence
since 20 June 2023
Ministry of Defence
Member ofCabinet
SeatHelsinki, Finland
NominatorPrime Minister
AppointerPresident
Term lengthFour years (de facto)
Formation1918; 106 years ago (1918)
First holderWilhelm Thesleff
Websitewww.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 Antti Häkkänen.

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.