Four brigadier generals from the same Inca Pachacútec promotion, graduated in 1988 from the Chorrillos Military School, are in the matchmaker for promotion to the rank of major general: Carlos Rabanal Calderón, Jorge Agramonte Aguilar, Mario Risco Carmen and Carlos Escudero Sotomayor.
Those with the greatest chance of reaching the rank of divisional are the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Army, General Carlos Rabanal Calderón, and the secretary of the General Command of the Army, General Jorge Agramonte Aguilar.
In 2021, to the general Carlos Rabanal Calderon he was entitled to the rank of division general, but the then Commander General of the Army, José Vizcarra Álvarez, preferred Jhonny León Rabanal, current commander general of the III Division of the Army, based in Arequipa. Rabanal, of the Cavalry weapon, is the sword of honor of his promotion. Jorge Agramonte is from the Engineering branch.
As reported by La República, in the Army there are two different positions regarding President Pedro Castillo. One, headed by the institution’s general commander, Walter Cordova German, that promotes full support for Government palace. And the other, that considers that the Army should maintain an institutionalist line away from politics.
According to military sources with knowledge of the debate inside the Army, the process of promotions and passes to retirement in the institution will serve to measure forces.
As this newspaper has reported, the Commander General of the Army, Walter Córdova Alemán, is very attached to the head of state: andPresident Castillo dismissed Commander General José Vizcarra Álvarez —who refused to promote those recommended by the head of state— and replaced him with Walter Córdova Alemán. President Castillo appointed Córdova, despite the fact that Vizcarra had proposed his retirement. This is the source of General Córdova’s fidelity.
As commanding general of the Army, Walter Córdova has influence over promotions and retirements. But also the chief of the General Staff of the Army, number two, the division general David Ojeda Parra. From his position, Ojeda must certify scrupulously comply with the rules for grade promotions.
When President Castillo relieved the Commander General Jose Vizcarra, Walter Córdova should have retired, as established by the Army itself. And he should have appointed David Ojeda as commander general. However, he preferred Córdova’s fidelity to General Ojeda’s marked institutionalism.
According to information circulating internally in the Army, one of the applicants for the rank of division general, Carlos Rabanal Calderon, it would be from the same institutionalist line as General David Ojeda Parra.
The mandatary Pedro Castillo would have the support of officers from the group known as ‘Los Chotanos’, led by EP Colonel Ciro Bocanegra Loayza. During the promotion crisis of 2021, President Castillo tried to promote Bocanegra to a degree, which was dismissed by former Commander General José Vizcarra.
Colonel EP Ciro Bocanegra. Photo: diffusion
Sources from the military institute consulted by La República did not rule out that the head of state will once again try to interfere in the process of promotion and retirement, to surround himself with officers related to Government palace. If the institutionality of the Army occurs, it would be greatly affected, they pointed out.
“Clearly there is going to be manipulation. Active officers cannot claim, but former general commanders can.” indicates a message circulating on social networks shared by the official status of the Army.
“Request the pronouncement of the former general commanders so that the ranking is respected and our honest generals are not indiscriminately invited to retire,” messages need.
“It has to be now, then it will be too late. Let’s not complain giving our points of view from the comfortable armchair of pensions. Let’s not be complacent about what is going to happen,” the messages warn.
Another potential interference in the process of promotion and retirement that was recognized by the military sources consulted comes from sectors related to “antaurism.”
Same Major EP (r) Antauro Humala Tasso has referred to his links with the Army, recalling that Commander General Walter Cordova German He is his classmate from the Héroes de Concepción promotion, which graduated in 1985. In any case, if the ranking is not respected, a more serious crisis could break out in the Army compared to what happened in 2021.
Palace backs Córdova
Up to three times the former Deputy Minister of Defense Policies Jose Robles Montoya requested the former Minister of Defense José Gavidia Arrascue to relieve Army Commander General Walter Córdova Alemán.
One of the reasons José Robles argued was that General Córdova did not meet the expectations of the office, compared to the other commanding generals of the Navy and the Air Force.
However, on May 10 of this year, the Executive preferred to remove former Vice Minister José Robles Montoya, confirming the inclination of the Government Palace in favor of the general commander of the Army.
