This Friday the head of the Defense Staff (Esmade), Gustavo Fajardo, requested his retirement. As published by the Ministry of Defense through its Twitter account, Fajardo’s decision was made for “personal reasons.”
However, as Fajardo explained to The Observer, differences that he had with the Minister of Defense, Javier García, “led to a deterioration in the relationship”. These situations caused the Army general to make the “personal” and “voluntary” decision to request his retirement. That is to say: to finish his career ahead of time.
Until now the head of Esmade said that for some time now “He did not share or share” the determinations applied by Minister García.
“He did not consider my advice” on some points, Fajardo limited himself to saying, who reported that he made the corresponding proposal to the minister in a meeting. “If we continue working in this way, I do not agree because I like to work as a team,” said the former Chief of Defense Staff, according to his version.
Fajardo did not provide details of the military matters on which he had differences, but insisted that the criteria used by García led him to make the decision to request voluntary retirement.
“We owe obedience to the minister. If one does not agree, he has to leave, ”said the general.
The worn relationship between the minister and the head of Esmade is not an isolated or exceptional case. Different military sources told The Observer that García’s leadership style and the way in which he relates to his subordinates –often ignoring them– generated annoyance within the forces.
The Observer unsuccessfully tried to communicate with the defense minister.
Fajardo and the Court of Honor of Gavazzo
Fajardo was appointed in February 2021 as chief of the Defense Staff, after his predecessor, Marcelo Montaner, went into mandatory retirement due to age.
Montaner’s successor presided over the Court of Military Honor when, in 2017, José Gavazzo confessed to having thrown Roberto Gomensoro’s body into the Negro River in 1973. That same court also received the statement of Jorge Silveira, who admitted that Gavazzo was responsible for the death of the Tupamaro.
At that time, the court that Fajardo was part of did not understand that the actions of the former soldiers affected the honor of the Army. However, he highlighted his disagreement with Gavazzo and Silveira, who, although they knew the events that triggered Gomenzoro’s murder, let Colonel Juan Carlos Gómez spend three years in prison as being responsible for the murder.
After the statements, on July 15, 2018, Fajardo informed the then commander in chief Guido Manini Ríos about the statements of Gavazzo and Silveira before the Court of Honor, and sent him the recordings. In addition, he expressed the importance of delivering the information to Justice. According to Manini Ríos, this exchange took place only verbally.
In 2019, after the disclosure of Gavazzo’s confessions, then-president Tabaré Vázquez unsuccessfully requested Fajardo’s mandatory retirement from the Senate.
The prosecutor who investigated the actions of the military, Rodrigo Morosoli, asked the three members of the Court of Honor: “How did you feel when you realized that the Gavazzo case had not reached civil justice?”. To which Fajardo replied: “The truth is that I practically (felt) violated.”
The episode included the request for removal of immunity from Manini Ríos, which was not approved.
Gustavo Fajardo is 59 years old and is from Maldonado. In 1982 he graduated from the Military School. In addition, he started a degree in Political Science at Udelar and is a professor of Horse Riding.
He has 44 years of activity in which he has played different roles within the National Army.
