The junta's president was Miguel Cabanellas and its head of state was Francisco Franco.

[1] On 25 July, the leaders of the Nationalist faction, which instigated the attempted coup, declared the establishment of the National Defense Junta.

[2] The junta held a meeting on 21 November to resolve disputed within the Nationalist faction on who their ultimate leader will be.

Several of the junta's leaders, including President Miguel Cabanellas, Head of State Francisco Franco, Emilio Mola, Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, attended the meeting and were all candidates to become the faction's sole leader.

[3] Eventually, Franco was proclaimed as the supreme caudillo of Spain by Decree Number 138 [es] on 30 September 1936 and the National Defense Junta was dissolved.