Minister of National Defense of El Salvador
Ministro de Defensa Nacional
Incumbent René Francis Merino Monroy since 1 June 2019
Ministry of National Defense
Style	Contralmirante
Reports to	President of El Salvador
Appointer	President of El Salvador
Formation	1 March 1900 (1900-03-01)
First holder	Fernando Figueroa

The Minister of National Defense of El Salvador Ministro de Defensa Nacional de El Salvador is a Salvadoran military officer who serves as the head of the Ministry of National Defense of El Salvador.

History

The position of Minister of National Defense was created on 1 March 1900 by President Tomás Regalado.^[1]

List of ministers

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Party/Branch	Ref
1		Brigadier General Fernando Figueroa (1849–1919)	1 March 1900	1 March 1903	3 years, 0 days	Liberal/Army	[1]
2		Brigadier General Tomás Regalado (1861–1906)	1 March 1903	11 July 1906	3 years, 132 days	Liberal/Army
(1)		Brigadier General Fernando Figueroa (1849–1919)	11 July 1906	1 March 1911	4 years, 233 days	Liberal/Army	[1]
3		Brigadier General José María Peralta Lagos (1873–1944)	1 March 1911	9 February 1913	1 year, 345 days	Army	[1]
4		Brigadier General Luis Alonso Barahona (?–?)	9 February 1913	? August 1915	2 years, 203 days c.	Army	[1]
5		Doctor Enrique Córdova (?–?)	? August 1915	1 March 1923	7 years, 212 days c.	National Democratic Party	[1]
6		Doctor Pío Romero Bosque (1860–1935)	1 March 1923	1 March 1927	4 years, 0 days	National Democratic Party	[1]
7		Doctor Alberto Gómez Zárate (?–?)	1 March 1927	? May 1930	3 years, 91 days c.	National Democratic Party	[1]
(6)		Doctor Pío Romero Bosque (1860–1935)	? May 1930	1 March 1931	304 days c.	National Democratic Party	[1]
8		Brigadier General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (1882–1966)	1 March 1931	2 December 1931	276 days	National Republican Party/Army	[1]
–		Colonel Osmín Aguirre y Salinas (1889–1977) Acting	2 December 1931	4 December 1931	2 days	Army	[1]
–		Colonel Joaquín Valdés (1906–1957) Acting	4 December 1931	1 March 1935	3 years, 87 days	Army	[1]
9		Brigadier General Andrés Ignacio Menéndez (1879–1962)	1 March 1935	9 May 1944	9 years, 69 days	National Pro Patria Party/Army	[1]
–		Brigadier General Fidel Cristino Garay (?–?) Acting	9 May 1944	20 October 1944	164 days	Army	[1]
–		Colonel Salvador Peña Trejo (?–?) Acting	20 October 1944	1 March 1945	132 days	Army	[1]
10		Brigadier General Salvador Castaneda Castro (1888–1965)	1 March 1945	? March 1945	29 days c.	Unification Social Democratic Party/Army	[1]
11		Brigadier General Mauro Espínola Castro (?–?)	? March 1945	14 December 1948	3 years, 288 days c.	Army	[1]
–		Lieutenant Colonel Fidel Rodríguez Quintanilla (?–?) Acting	14 December 1948	14 September 1950	1 year, 274 days	Army	[1]
12		Lieutenant Colonel Óscar Bolaños (?–?)	14 September 1950	? December 1953	3 years, 108 days c.	Army	[1]
13		Colonel Marco Antonio Molina (?–?)	? December 1953	14 September 1956	2 years, 288 days c.	Army	[1]
14		Brigadier General Adán Parada (?–?)	14 September 1956	20 October 1960	4 years, 36 days	Army	[1]
–		Lieutenant Colonel Alonso Castillo Navarrete (?–?) Acting	20 October 1960	25 January 1961	97 days	Army	[1]
–		Lieutenant Colonel Armando Molina Mena (?–?) Acting	25 January 1961	? May 1961	126 days c.	Army	[1]
–		Major Óscar Rodríguez Simó (?–?) Acting	? May 1961	? November 1961	213 days c.	Army	[1]
–		Colonel Armando Díaz Liévano (?–?) Acting	? November 1961	1 July 1962	242 days c.	Army	[1]
15		Colonel Marco Aurelio Zacapa (?–?)	1 July 1962	1 July 1967	5 years, 0 days	Army	[1]
16		Brigadier General Fidel Torres (?–?)	1 July 1967	1 July 1972	5 years, 0 days	Army	[1]
17		Brigadier General Carlos Humberto Romero (1924–2017)	1 July 1972	1 July 1977	5 years, 0 days	National Conciliation Party/Army	[1]
18		Divisional General Federico Castillo Yanes (?–2013)	1 July 1977	15 October 1979	2 years, 106 days	Army	[1]
–		Brigadier General José Guillermo García (born 1933) Acting	15 October 1979	? April 1983	3 years, 197 days c.	Army	[1][2]
19		Brigadier General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova (1937–2023)	? April 1983	? May 1989	6 years, 60 days c.	Army	[1][3]
20		Brigadier General Rafael Humberto Larios López (born 1937)	? May 1989	? August 1990	1 year, 121 days c.	Army	[1]
21		Brigadier General René Emilio Ponce (1947–2011)	? August 1990	? June 1993	2 years, 333 days c.	Army	[1]
22		Brigadier General Humberto Corado Figueroa (born 1948)	? June 1993	1 January 1996	2 years, 214 days c.	Army	[1]
23		Brigadier General Jaime Guzmán Morales (?–?)	1 January 1996	1 January 1999	3 years, 0 days	Army	[1]
24		General of Aviation Juan Antonio Martínez Varela (?–)	1 January 1999	1 June 2004	5 years, 152 days	Air Force	[1]
25		Brigadier General Otto Alejandro Romero Orellana (born 1955)	1 June 2004	1 January 2008	3 years, 214 days	Army	[1]
26		Divisional General Jorge Alberto Molina Contreras (1956–)	1 January 2008	1 June 2009	1 year, 151 days	Army	[1][4]
27		Divisional General David Munguía Payés (born ?)	1 June 2009	23 November 2011	2 years, 175 days	Army	[1]
28		Brigadier General José Atilio Benítez Parada (born 1958)	23 November 2011	12 July 2013	1 year, 201 days	Army	[1]
(27)		Divisional General David Munguía Payés (born ?)	12 July 2013	1 June 2019	5 years, 324 days	Army	[1]
29		Vice Admiral René Merino Monroy (born 1963)	1 June 2019	Incumbent	4 years, 211 days	Navy	[5][6]

See also

• President of El Salvador

References