Arackaparambil Kurien Antony is an Indian lawyer, attorney and statesman who served as the Minister of Defence of India from 2006 to 2014, making him the longest serving Defence Minister in India. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee, Congress Working Committee, and member of the Congress Core Group and Central Election Committee.
The Minister of Defence is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high ranking minister of the Government of India. The Defence minister is one of the most senior offices in the Union Council of Ministers as well as being a high-level minister in the union cabinet. The Defence minister additionally serves as president of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, and as chancellor of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and of the National Defence University.