Minister of Defence (Nepal)
Head of the Ministry of Defence
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The minister of defence (Rakshā Mantri) is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high ranking minister of the government of Nepal. The defence minister is one of the most senior offices in the Council of Ministers as well as being a high-level minister in the union cabinet.[1]
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| Minister of Defence | |
|---|---|
| रक्षा मन्त्री | |
| |
 | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Member of | Council of Ministers |
| Reports to | Prime Minister |
| Seat | Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The president |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the The president. |
| Inaugural holder | Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana |
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List of ministers of defence
Giri Prasad Burathoki, the defence minister during much of King Mahendra's reign, had himself been a highly decorated (retired) officer of the British Indian Army.
This is a list of all ministers of Defense since the Nepalese Constituent Assembly election in 2013:[2]
| Name | Party | Assumed office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interim Prime Minister Khil Raj Regmi[3] | Independent | 11 February 2014 | 25 February 2014 |
| 2 | Prime Minister Sushil Koirala | Nepali Congress | 25 February 2014 | 12 October 2015 |
| 3 | Bhim Bahadur Rawal | Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | 5 November 2015 | 1 August 2016[4] |
| 4 | Bal Krishna Khand | Nepali Congress | 26 August 2016 | 31 May 2017 |
| 5 | Bhimsen Das Pradhan[5] | Nepali Congress | 26 July 2017 | 15 February 2018 |
| 6 | Ishwor Pokharel | Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | 26 February 2018 | 4 June 2021 |
| 7 | Minendra Rijal | Nepali Congress | 8 October 2021 | 16 December 2021 |
| 8 | Hari Prasad Upreti | Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | 17 January 2023 | 27 February 2023 |
| 9 | Purna Bahadur Khadka | Nepali Congress | 30 March 2023 | 14 July 2024 |
| 10 | Manbir Rai | Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | 15 July 2024 | 9 September 2025 |
| Office Vacant (9 September 2025 - 27 March 2026) | ||||
| 11 | Balendra Shah | Rastriya Swatantra Party | 27 March 2026 | Incumbent |