Ministry of Defence (Arab Union)

The Ministry of Defence (Arabic: وزارة الدفاع wuzārat ad-difā‘) is an executive department of the federal government of the Arab Union, subordinate to the Council of Ministers. It is responsible for realising national defence policy, and oversees the Arab Union Armed Forces and supporting agencies such as military police, military intelligence, and missile and aerospace defence. The Ministry of Defence also supervises and regulates the multiple state-owned and private enterprises which make up the national defence industry, as well as the import and export of weapons and military equipment.

Employing over 732,000 civilian personnel and the 7.5 million active and reserve personnel of the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence is by far the largest government department in the Arab Union and one of the largest employers in the country. It is headquartered at 23 El-Khalifa el-Mamoun Blvd in central Cairo. Ragheb Asaad has served as Minister of Defence since September 2015.

Structure

 * General Staff of the Arab Union Armed Forces: The General Staff consists of the commanders of each service branch and their deputies, the head of military intelligence, and the Chief of the General Staff, who is usually the highest ranking officer in the armed forces and who reports directly to the Minister of Defence, ultimately responsible to the President of the Arab Union in his capacity as commander-in-chief.

Directorates
The administrative and technical responsibilities of the Ministry of Defence are divided between several civilian directorates, each headed by a director who reports to the Minister of Defence:


 * Military Police Directorate: Responsible for law enforcement within the armed forces, as well as maintenance of public security alongside civilian police agencies during major national events, civil unrest and natural disasters.
 * Military Intelligence Directorate: Provides and coordinates between highly trained military intelligence and counterintelligence units for the three service branches of the armed forces.
 * Air Force Intelligence Directorate: Traditionally the intelligence agency responsible to the Arab Air Force, today considered the most powerful intelligence and security agency in the government of the Arab Union.
 * Naval Intelligence Directorate: Responsible for the intelligence needs of the Arab Navy.
 * Military Logistical Supply Directorate: Responsible for timely and efficient delivery of all materiel and other products required by the three service branches, from food, clothing, and personal items to weapons, ammunition, and vehicles.
 * Military Medical Directorate: Responsible for training and providing expert medical units to the armed forces at the company level and above; each medical unit consists of at least one physician, one surgeon, and three nurses, as well as between 5 and 20 support personnel. The directorate maintains a close relationship with the National Health Authority, from which a majority of medical professionals are recruited into the armed forces.
 * National Aerospace Defence Directorate: Operates and maintains the complex infrastructure which makes up the union's anti-aircraft and missile defence systems.
 * Military Personnel Directorate: Responsible for recruiting, training and compensating active and reserve servicemembers as well as the civilian personnel of the Ministry of Defence itself.
 * Directorate of Military–Public Relations: The official spokesman of the military and Ministry of Defence, responsible for all relevant publications regarding military activities and fostering strong communications with the civilian population.
 * Directorate of Veterans' Affairs: Responsible for the compensation and long—term support of former servicemembers, including issuing the national veterans' pension and maintaining rehabilitation centres and vocational reintegration programs.
 * Defence Industry Regulatory Directorate: Supervises and regulates arms contractors and other defence companies including both state-owned enterprises and private corporations, and also places orders for equipment as required by the military with said suppliers.
 * Arms Import and Export Directorate: Responsible for importing arms and other military equipment from foreign suppliers, and exporting military hardware abroad which is a monopoly of the state.
 * Military Legal Directorate: Responsible for representing the armed forces in both the domestic and international legal affairs.
 * Defence Budget Directorate: Responsible for ensuring funding of the armed forces and maintaining the national defence budget.
 * Defence Infrastructure Directorate: Responsible for the construction and maintenance of all military facilities, including but not limited to military bases, ports and airbases, and their complimentary habitat and support infrastructure.