By Team ADU
New Delhi. 08 March 2018. Seventeen women world over have broken the strong male bastion and have turned out to be as good if not better than their male predecessors. These are the Ministers of defence in 17 countries. Matters military which were considered to be a man’s prerogative are now being handed over to the able and knowledgeable women who have the strength and the brains to manage the forces, understand their needs and ensure that the nation’s security a top priority. Traditionally, this part of the cabinet has been given to a male in the past, but quite recently the trend has been changing and more and more women are coming at the front to play the role in the most efficient way.
The first woman to have been given the responsibility was Sirimavo Bandaranaik, who was the then Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1960s. These women at the helm of ministry of defence of their nations.
| 1. | Sheikh Hasina | Bangladesh | Asia | 6 January 2009 | Incumbent | 9 years, 58 days |
| 2. | Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula | South Africa | Asia | 12 June 2012 | Incumbent | 5 years, 266 days |
| 3. | Martha Elena Ruiz Sevilla | Nicaragua | South America | 4 March 2013 | Incumbent | 5 years, 1 day |
| 4. | Raychelle Omamo | Kenya | Africa | 15 May 2013 | Incumbent | 4 years, 294 days |
| 5. | Ursula von der Leyen | Germany | Europe | 17 December 2013 | Incumbent | 4 years, 78 days |
| 6. | Roberta Pinotti | Italy | Europe | 22 February 2014 | Incumbent | 4 years, 11 days |
| 7. | Marina Pendeš | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | 11 February 2015 | Incumbent | 3 years, 22 days |
| 8. | Andreja Katič | Slovenia | Europe | 13 May 2015 | Incumbent | 2 years, 296 days |
| 9. | Marise Payne | Australia | Oceania | 21 September 2015 | Incumbent | 2 years, 165 days |
| 10. | María Dolores de Cospedal | Spain | Europe | 4 November 2016 | Incumbent | 1 year, 121 days |
| 11. | Radmila Šekerinska | Macedonia | Republic of Europe | 1 June 2017 | Incumbent | 277 days |
| 12. | Florence Parly | France | Europe | 21 June 2017 | Incumbent | 257 days |
| 13. | Nirmala Sitharaman | India | Asia | 3 September 2017 | Incumbent | 183 days |
| 14. | Olta Xhaçka | Albania | Europe | 11 September 2017 | Incumbent | 175 days |
| 15. | Marie-Noëlle Koyara | Central African Republic | Africa | 12 September 2017 | Incumbent | 174 days |
| 16. | Ank Bijleveld | Netherlands | Europe | 26 October 2017 | Incumbent | 130 days |
| 17. | Karla Šlechtová | Czech Republic | Europe | 13 December 2017 | Incumbent | 82 days |
