The Minister of Defence (Italian: Ministro della Difesa) is a senior member of the Italian Cabinet who leads the Ministry of Defence.

The minister is responsible for military and civil defence matters and managing the Italian Armed Forces.

The first Minister of War was Manfredo Fanti, a General of the Royal Italian Army, while the first Minister of Defence was Luigi Gasparotto, member of the Labour Democratic Party; the current office holder is Guido Crosetto, of the Brothers of Italy party, who has been acting as Defence Minister since 22 October 2022.

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