Defense Committee (Soviet Union)

{{Infobox government agency

|agency_name = Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union

|nativename = Комитет Обороны при СНК СССР

|logo =

|logo_width =

|logo_caption =

|image =

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|seal =Coat of arms ussr1.svg

|seal_width = 150px

|seal_caption = All ministry seals of the Soviet Union used the USSR coat of arms

|formed = April 1937

|preceding1 = Council of Labor and Defense

|preceding2 =

|dissolved =30 June 1941

|superseding = State Defense Committee

|jurisdiction = {{flag|USSR}}

|headquarters = Moscow, Russia

|employees =

|chief1_name = Chairman

|chief1_position = Vyacheslav Molotov

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|chief2_position =

|parent_agency = Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union

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}}

Defense Committee of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union ({{langx|ru|Комитет обороны при СНК СССР}}) was a committee subordinated o the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union .

In accordance with a resolution of the Council of Labor and Defense dated 12 February 1927 and a resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union dated 24 February 1927, the Defense Commission was established{{cite web|url=https://oboron-prom.ru/sto.html|title=СТО|lang=ru|accessdate=2025-04-11|publisher=Oboronprom}} and was subordinated to the Council of Labor and Defense.{{cite web|url=https://docs.historyrussia.org/ru/nodes/280595-postanovleniya-snk-sssr-sto-sssr-i-rasporyaditelnogo-zasedaniya-locale-nil-komissii-oborony-sto-sssr-1927-1932-gg|title=Постановления СНК СССР, СТО СССР и Распорядительного заседания — Комиссии обороны СТО СССР. 1927-1932 гг.|accessdate=2025-04-11|publisher=ЭЛЕКТРОННАЯ БИБЛИОТЕКА ИСТОРИЧЕСКИХ ДОКУМЕНТОВ}} It was again reformed based on a decision of the Council of Labor and Defense issued on 24 December 1930. Its members included chairman (24.12.1930), Vyacheslav Molotov and Members (from 1931): Joseph Stalin, Kliment Voroshilov, Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze and Valerian Kuybyshev.

In April 1937 the Council of Labor and Defense was abolished and the Defense Commission was reformed into the Defense Committee, directly subordinated to the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR with Vyacheslav Molotov retaining the chairmanship.{{Cite web |url=http://www.knowbysight.info/MMM/04032.asp |title=Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза: 1898—1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416040857/http://www.knowbysight.info/MMM/04032.asp |archive-date=2011-04-16 |access-date=2010-08-31 }} In accordance with the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars No. 983-372s of June 7, 1940, the apparatus of the Defense Committee was reorganized. On May 30, 1941, it was transformed into the Commission on Military and Naval Affairs under the Bureau of the Council of People's Commissars ({{langx|ru|Комиссия по военным и военно-морским делам}}) (not to be confused with the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs). A month later, following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the committee was transformed into the State Defense Committee headed by Joseph Stalin.

Throughout its existence it was involved in the development of the military industrial complex.{{cite web|url=https://docs.historyrussia.org/ru/nodes/280622-doklad-narkoma-po-voennym-i-morskim-delam-sssr-i-predsedatelya-revvoensoveta-sssr-k-e-voroshilova-predsedatelyu-komissii-oborony-sssr-v-m-molotovu-ob-itogah-razvitiya-artilleriyskogo-vooruzheniya-s-1-oktyabrya-1928-g-po-1-maya-1933-g-i-o-sisteme-artill#mode/inspect/page/1/zoom/4|title=Доклад наркома по военным и морским делам СССР и председателя Реввоенсовета СССР К.Е. Ворошилова председателю Комиссии обороны СССР В.М. Молотову об итогах развития артиллерийского вооружения с 1 октября 1928 г. по 1 мая 1933 г.|lang=ru|accessdate=2025-04-11|publisher=ЭЛЕКТРОННАЯ БИБЛИОТЕКА ИСТОРИЧЕСКИХ ДОКУМЕНТОВ}}