Department of National Defence

Department of National Defence (DND), the department of the Canadian federal government responsible for implementing defense policy. The DND and the Canadian Forces (CF) are overseen by the minister of national defence, and the two organizations share a common headquarters. The mission of the DND and the CF is to defend Canada and its domestic interests, including advancing emergency preparedness, but also to contribute to the maintenance of world peace.

In 1922 the Canadian Parliament passed the National Defence Act, which established the Department of National Defence. It was created by amalgamating the Air Board and the departments of Naval Services and Militia and Defence. The government established a single department partly to decrease defense costs and to better coordinate national defense policy.

As part of this effort, amendments to the National Defence Act were introduced in the late 1960s and 1970s that radically reformed Canada’s armed forces. In 1968 amendments to the act unified the three separate services—the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force—into a single unit, the Canadian Forces. In 1972 the Canadian Forces Headquarters merged with the civilian structure of the DND to create the joint military and civilian National Defence Headquarters. The headquarters is in Ottawa, Ontario.

The minister of national defence is responsible to Parliament for the overall control and management of the DND and the CF and for all matters pertaining to national defense. The minister is responsible for the administration not only of the National Defence Act, but also of several other acts including the Emergencies Act, the Emergency Preparedness Act, and the Visiting Forces Act.

Operating under the minister of national defence are two senior advisors. The senior civilian advisor to the minister is the deputy minister for the DND. The deputy minister is primarily responsible for policy, resources, and international defense relations, and is also responsible for the DND’s civilian employees and for the administration of its budget. Similarly, the senior military advisor to the minister of national defence is the chief of the defence staff, who is also the senior military commander of the Canadian Forces. The chief of the defence staff is responsible for the command, control, and administration of the CF, and for all orders and instructions to the three service commands (Land Forces, Maritime, and Air Command). Although the chief of the defence staff normally operates via the minister of national defence, under emergency situations he or she may have direct access to the governor-general of Canada, who is the official commander-in-chief of the CF.

The DND’s responsibilities include implementing defense policy, allocating and managing financial resources and non-military personnel, purchasing equipment and materials, and protecting the environment. It administers the CF, which is a multipurpose, combat-ready military force that defends Canada from direct military threat and protects its borders.