Military Wiki
Military Wiki
Ministry of National Defence
Coat of arms of Guatemala
Agency overview
Headquarters Avenida La Reforma 1-45 zona 10, Guatemala
Minister responsible
  • Brig. Gen. Williams Mansilla Fernández
Website www.mindef.mil.gt

The Ministry of National Defence (Spanish language: Ministerio de la Defensa de la Nación ) is the agency of the Guatemalan government responsible for the budget, training and policy of the military of Guatemala. Based in Guatemala City, the Defence Ministry is highly guarded, and the President of Guatemala frequently visits. Prior to 1945 the agency was titled the Secretariat of War (Secretaría de la Guerra).

As of 2015 the Minister of National Defence is Brigadier General Marco Tulio Garcia Franco.[1]

Structure[]

The ministry is headed by the Minister of National Defence, who reports to the President of Guatemala, the commander in chief of the armed forces.

Ministry of Defence Guatemala organisation chart

Organisation chart of the Ministry of Defence

List of Ministers of National Defence[]

# Picture Name Term of Office President(s) served under
Start End
Col. Carlos Paz Tejada Juan José Arévalo
Col. Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán 1950 15 February 1950 Juan José Arévalo
Col. José Angel Sánchez 1954 1954
Col. Enrique Close De León 1955 1957 Carlos Castillo Armas
Juán Francisco Oliva 1957 1957
Col. Guillermo Flores Avendaño[2] 3 March 1958 1958 José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes
Rubén González Siguí 1960 1960 José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes
Col. Alfredo Enrique Peralta Azurdia 1960 30 March 1963 José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes
Col. Rafael Arriaga Bosque 1 July 1966 26 March 1968 Julio César Méndez Montenegro
Rolando Chinchilla Aguilar 28 March 1968 19 February 1969 Julio César Méndez Montenegro
Brig. Gen. Doroteo Reyes Santa Cruz 19 February 1969 after 1 April 1970 Julio César Méndez Montenegro
Leonel Vassaux Martínez before July 1970 after 1 January 1972 Julio César Méndez Montenegro
Brig. Gen. Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García January 1972 1974 Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio
Brig. Gen. Fausto David Rubio Coronado 1974 after 1 April 1975 Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio
Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García 1 July 1975 after 1 January 1977 Gen. Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García
Gen. Otto Guillermo Spiegeler Noriega 1 February 1977 15 January 1980 Gen. Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García
Gen. Ángel Aníbal Guevara Rodríguez[3] 15 January 1980 9 August 1981 Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García
Gen. Luís René Mendoza Palomo 1981 1981 Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García
Brig. Gen. José Efraín Ríos Montt 1982 1982 Gen. Fernando Romeo Lucas García
Gen. Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores 1 September 1982 after 15 August 1985 Gen. José Efraín Ríos Montt
8 August 1985 14 January 1986 Gen. Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores
Gen. Jaime Hernández Méndez 14 January 1986 31 January 1987 Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo
Gen. Héctor Alejandro Gramajo Morales 31 January 1987 21 May 1990 Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo
Gen. Juán Leonel Bolaños Chávez 21 May 1990 after 5 September 1990 Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo
Gen. Luis Enrique Mendoza García[4] 14 January 1991 13 December 1991 Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías
Gen. José Domingo García Samayoa 13 December 1991 7 June 1993 Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías
Ramiro de León Carpio
Gen. Jorge Roberto Perussina Rivera[5] 7 June 1993 28 June 1993 Ramiro de León Carpio
Gen. Mario René Enríquez Morales[6] 1 July 1993 9 October 1995 Ramiro de León Carpio
Maj. Gen. Marco Antonio González Taracena[7] 9 October 1995 13 January 1996 Ramiro de León Carpio
Maj. Gen. Julio Arnoldo Balconi Turcios[7][8] 14 January 1996 3 July 1997 Álvaro Arzú
Brig. Gen. Héctor Mario Barrios Celada 3 July 1997 30 June 1999 Álvaro Arzú
Gen. Marco Tulio Espinoza[9] 30 June 1999 14 January 2000 Álvaro Arzú
Col. Juan de Dios Estrada Velásquez[10] 18 January 2000 9 January 2001 Alfonso Portillo
Maj. Gen. Eduardo Arévalo Lacs 9 January 2001 2001-12-10 Alfonso Portillo
Gen. Leonel Méndez Estrada 2001-12-10 2002-08-26 Alfonso Portillo
Robin Malconi Moran Muñoz 2002-08-26 January 2004 Alfonso Portillo
Brig. Gen. César Augusto Méndez Pinelo January 2004 7 January 2005 Óscar Berger
Aldana Maj. Gen. Carlos Humberto Aldana Villanueva[11] 7 January 2005 2 November 2005 Óscar Berger
Bermúdez Brig. Gen. Francisco Bermúdez Amado[12][13] 2 November 2005 29 December 2006 Óscar Berger
Leiva Maj. Gen. Ronaldo Cecilio Leiva Rodríguez[14] 29 December 2006 14 January 2008 Óscar Berger
Brig. Gen. Marco Tulio García Franco[15][16] 15 January 2008 21 December 2008 Álvaro Colom
Maj. Gen. Abraham Valenzuela Gonzalez[16] 21 December 2008 Incumbent Álvaro Colom

See also[]

References[]

  1. "Alto Mando del Ejército de Guatemala" (in Spanish). Ejército de Guatemala. http://www.mindef.mil.gt/quienes/altomando.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  2. "Outgoing Provisional Chief Named Defense Minister". New York Times. 4 March 1958. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00812FA385B107B93C6A91788D85F4C8585F9. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  3. "Guatemalan Aide Resigns". New York Times. 9 August 1981. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E3DA143BF93AA3575BC0A967948260. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  4. Christian, Shirley (13 December 1991). "Guatemalans Irked by U.S. Pressure in Killing". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFDC113EF930A25751C1A967958260. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  5. "Guatemala's De Leon". Los Angeles Times. 21 July 1993. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60345454.html?dids=60345454:60345454&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  6. "Guatemalan defense minister resigns after massacre". CNN. 10 October 1995. http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/Newsbriefs/9510/10-10/index.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "President Arzu: A New Stage Begins". Envío Magazine. February 1996. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/1933. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  8. "Guatemala’s Top 2 Military Chiefs Are Fired". Los Angeles Times. 5 July 1997. http://articles.latimes.com/1997/jul/05/news/mn-9847. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  9. "Guatemala: President Alvaro Arzu Appoints General Accused In Gerardi Assassination To Head Defense Ministry". NotiCen: Central American & Caribbean Affairs. 22 July 1999. http://www.allbusiness.com/central-america/283740-1.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  10. Flakus, Greg (18 January 2000). "Guatemala Military Reform". Voice of America. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2000/01/000118-guatemala1.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  11. Guoz, Abner (9 January 2005). "Ministerio de la Defensa Nacional" (in Spanish). ElPeriódico de Guatemala. http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20050109/actualidad/11534/. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
  12. "Francisco Bermúdez asume como nuevo ministro de la Defensa" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 3 November 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20080527184025/http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2005/noviembre/03/127007.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  13. Arrecis, Francisco González (21 December 2006). "Francisco Bermúdez presenta renuncia" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080622231001/http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2006/diciembre/21/159143.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
  14. Francisco González Arrecis (29 December 2006). "Leiva Rodríguez será ministro de Defensa" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20080623192410/http://www.prensalibre.com.gt/pl/2006/diciembre/29/159620.html. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
  15. Osorio, J., Rodríguez, L. and Alvarado, Y. H. (16 January 2008). "Álvaro Colom demanda lealtad del Ejército" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20080617015210/http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/enero/16/214453.html. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
  16. 16.0 16.1 Por Ricardo Quinto y Jéssica Osorio (22 December 2008). "Presidente destituye al alto mando del Ejército". Prensa Libre. http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/diciembre/22/284822.html. Retrieved 2009-03-24. [dead link]

Sources[]

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Ministry of Defence (Guatemala) and the edit history here.