Changes in the Ecuadorian Military

Harsh and direct declarations from a military man. The ex-general commander from the Marine, Rear Admiral Alan Molestina, said that the ex-Minister of Defense (Fernando Cordero) was incompetent, and there is no more trust in the “leader” of the Armed Forces.

These agreements – signed by the ex-Ministry Fernando Cordero – that seek an equal treatment between the troops and the officials, “are improper, they are a total joke”, because the Armed Forces have a structured hierarchy needed to enforce the command.

“If the president is the maximum authority, and the chief in command of the Military, then officials and troops have the right to eat in the President’s dinning room”.

Consulted about the end of the good relations between the Executive and the Military, which led the Marines to manage Petroecuador and the

Army Engineers to construct projects, Molestina addressed that a public officer claimed that “Military men don’t know about administration and therefore, they have no right to give their opinion about what is happening on ISSFA”. (I)