[1] It was established as Ministry of Defence (MOD) at Namibian independence in 1990.
The NDF owns August 26 Group, a holding company for a number of commercial entities related to the military, among them Namibia's only arms manufacturer Windhoeker Maschinenfabrik.
The deputy ED heads the Department of Defence secretariat and administration.
This department is made up of six directorates: Education and Civil Training, Construction and Maintenance, Finance, Defence Central Staff, Procurement Research and Development, and Defence Legal Advisor.
In exceptional cases, commissioned officers with the rank of Brigadier general can be appointed as directors in the department.