The Department of National Defence (DND; French: Ministère de la Défense nationale) is the department of the Government of Canada which supports the Canadian Armed Forces in its role of defending Canadian national interests domestically and internationally.

[7] The department is responsible to Parliament through the minister of national defence – Bill Blair as of February 2024.

[8] The department exists to aid the minister in carrying out their responsibilities within the Defence Portfolio and provides a civilian support system for the Canadian Armed Forces.

The CIO group oversees the management of key information and intelligence for Canada's defence and cyber operations for DND and CAF.

The position has been held by Nancy Tremblay since July 2024 and ADM(Mat) is accountable to the Deputy Minister of National Defence.

[22] The Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure & Environment), referred to as ADM(IE), oversees real estates acquisitions and needs for the Canadian Armed Forces as well as property management, infrastructure and environmental needs related to the department.

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources - Civilian), referred to as ADM(HR-Civ), oversees all the human resources needs of the Defence Teams civilian members which includes but is not limited to recruitment, retention strategies, employment offers, and staffing policies.

[23] The Canadian Armed Forces is a separate and distinct military organization which works closely with, but is not a part of, the civilian department.

There are also a variety of offices and support organizations which report to both the chief of defence staff and the deputy minister.

The legal military chain of command within the Canadian Forces originates from the king, represented by the governor general, who is commander-in-chief.