The Doctor in political science and defense expert Mladen Yopo, referred to what the appointment of General Javier Iturriaga as Commander in Chief of the Army means, after the resignation of General Ricardo Martínez for the investigation against him in the fraud case in the Military institution, where he qualifies as accused.
Faced with Iturriaga’s next challenges at the head of the Armed Forces, Yopo maintained that he will have to face a difficult period for the institution.
“It is going through a very difficult period at the moment. In general, it is a period in which the Army is going through a bad time. It is an institution that had kept a little distance from the country’s development process in general in terms of social and democratic,” he said in conversation with The Counter at The Key.
Regarding Iturrieta’s capabilities, Yopo welcomes his arrival, since, in his opinion, he has shown that he is aligned with the standards requested by the country and has shown the necessary leadership for the position he assumes.
“I have the impression that he has the possibility of bringing the Army up to date in collaboration with Minister Maya Fernández, who is the one who should lead the process as representative of the President of the Republic in order to modernize and generate an Army that is more transparent. , that it be with the current standards that the country is asking for,” he said.
“It seems to me that he is a fairly sober, intelligent person. I think he is a fairly modern man who has shown some leadership capacity. When he told President Piñera ‘I am a happy man, I am not at war with anyone,’ he showed his ability to have a more modern, more inclusive vision of Chile,” he added.
Regarding the challenges that the military institution will face, Yopo argues that the Army must be decapsulated.
“There are many elements that must be worked on within the Army. First, to unpack the Army, which in some way lives in a kind of subculture, of confinement. In some way, generate it and bring it closer to the country,” he said.
“I am not saying that they do not have a presence, especially the regiments, but nevertheless, they live in military villages, they study in schools where the military go and therefore, they lack a bit of that concept of diversity that Chile is representing today. “, he added.
As for the work to be carried out by the future defense minister, Maya Fernández, Yopo warns that great attention should be paid to the national defense policy.
“From now on, it has to generate a defense policy that is much more shared, that is a national defense policy and not made between four walls as was the last defense policy that was made. I think there is a minor issue there. That policy will determine what the practices and development of the different branches of the Armed Forces are”, he concluded.
