The Caprican Ministry of Defense (or Caprican Defense Department) is a department of the Caprican government relating to the defense of the colony from outside forces.
In the years before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the Caprican Ministary of Defense is responsible for the initial development of robotic soldiers for use by the Caprican Military, including the Caprican Marine Corps. Having issued a contract to Caprica's Graystone Industries for the engineering and testing of the Cyber Combat Unit, the Ministry of Defense becomes frustrated by that company's protracted R&D process and considers taking the contract off-world to one of Graystone's competitors, the Vergis Corporation (CAP: "Pilot").
Some fifty-eight years before the Fall, however, Graystone Industries gains traction when - unbeknownst to the Ministry of Defense - the integration of a stolen meta-cognitive processor from the Vergis Corporation and Graystone's U-87 prototype chassis proves successful in Defense demos (CAP: "Pilot"). Placing an order for 100,000 "Cylon" soldiers, the Ministry of Defense continues to monitor Graystone's progress, which again stalls (CAP: "End of Line").
Frustrated by Graystone Industries' CEO Daniel Graystone, Ministry of Defense representative Colonel Sasha Patel personally persuades Tomas Vergis to gain control of his rival's company and complete the contract. Ten years and half a billion cubits (or more) over budget, Graystone Industries under the leadership of Vergis finally begins delivery of Caprica's Cylon army (CAP: "Unvanquished").
Val Chambers is the Minister of Defense before his murder by Ha'la'tha enforcer Sam Adama. Chambers is succeeded by Joan Leyte who green-lights Graystone's Cylon project, but is later replaced by Sasha Patel during the second Tauron Uprising (CAP: "Pilot" and "The Dirteaters").