Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)

The Afghan Ministry of Defense (Pashto: د افغانستان ملی دفاع وزارت) is an organ of the Central Government of Afghanistan, overseeing the Afghan Armed Forces. Its headquarters is located in Kabul.

The defense minister is nominated by the President of Afghanistan and the Parliament makes the final approval. As of May 2015, Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai has been serving as the acting defense minister. Dawlat Waziri is his spokesman.

Zahir Azimi is the Major General and spokesman of the Ministry of Defense. From late 2001 to 2004, Mohammed Fahim served as the Defense Minister but was not reappointed, after being accused of illegally occupying land in Kabul. During the same period, Abdul Rahim Wardak was the Deputy Minister. In December 2004, President Hamid Karzai appointed Wardak as the new Defense Minister. He resigned in August 2012.

One of the functions of the Defense Ministry is the continuance of disarming insurgent groups through programmes such as the Afghan New Beginnings Programme. These militant groups coalesced from warlords and former army personnel after the collapse of the Najibullah government in 1992.