The Minister of National Defense, Javier García, on behalf of the Executive Branch, appointed Air General Rodolfo Pereyra as Chief of the Defense Staff (Esmade). The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, participated in the act, this Thursday the 7th, together with the Vice President, Beatriz Argimón, and other national authorities.
In the ceremony held at the headquarters of Esmade, in Montevideo, the President was also accompanied by the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the Undersecretary of National Defense, Rivera Elgue, and the Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning, Irene Moreira.
Also present were the heads of the Army, Gerardo Fregossi, of the National Navy, Jorge Wilson, and of the Uruguayan Air Force, Luis De León, among other authorities and members of the Legislative Power.
Pereyra, who was sworn in as head of Esmade by the Minister of National Defense, had been head of the General Staff of the Air Force since 2020.
At a press conference, García recalled that Esmade is of “key importance”, since it leads the conjunction of the three forces.
He cited, by way of example, that fuel management is one of the main inputs that each of the armed forces manages independently. In this sense, he announced that he asked Pereyra for a “comprehensive and efficient management plan” for the use of fuel in each weapon.
For this, Ancap has already been requested a “technical diagnosis” that will be an instrument to study the acquisition, storage and distribution, for the entire fuel management chain. The objective is to contribute to the efficient and transparent use of these inputs, which he described as “critical”.
In his speech, Pereyra pointed out that it is up to the Defense General Staff to be the advisory body of the higher command of the Armed Forces and, in particular, of the Ministry of Defense in matters of planning and coordination of the activities of the forces. These include the directives of the Military Defense policy for the period 2020-2025.
“I promise to the superior command and to the members of the Armed Forces to carry out the position with loyalty, good faith and empathy”, he affirmed, in another passage of his oratory, after acknowledging the work of his predecessors. Presidency
