President José Antonio Kast on Monday, October 19, approved the makeup of the 2027 Alto Mando (high command) of Carabineros, Chile's national uniformed police, according to CNN Chile. The new leadership includes eight generals who are retiring and nine promotions. The approval was issued through the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública (Ministry of Public Security).
The proposal came from the general director of Carabineros, Marcelo Araya Zapata. According to the outlet, Araya kept his entire strategic core team in place to consolidate operational management. The top line of command remained almost unchanged.
Those staying on include the deputy general director, Enrique Monrás Álvarez, and the national director of Order and Security, Rodrigo Espinoza Olea. Also continuing are Ariel Oñate Rodríguez in Personnel, Karina Soza Muñoz as comptroller general and Manuel Cifuentes Quezada at the head of the Metropolitan Zone.
The only change at the rank of inspector general is the departure of María Teresa Araya Jiménez. Juan Muñoz Rodríguez, until now secretary general, is promoted to replace her. Muñoz will lead the new Dirección Nacional de Gestión de Abastecimiento (National Directorate of Supply Management).
The retirements comprise seven generals from Order and Security and one from Justice. Along with María Teresa Araya, those leaving are Patricia Vásquez Muñoz, Juan González Albornoz, Edgardo Flores Rubio, Maureen Espinoza Lobos, Marco Alvarado Díaz, Jorge Valdivia Correa and Jaime Elgueta Burgos, the last of these from the Justice branch.
Eight colonels are promoted to general. Most take on territorial commands. David López Oyarce will head the West Zone, Emilio Teixidor Araya the Magallanes Zone and Francisco Aravena Padilla the Los Lagos Zone. Cristián González Araneda takes over in Biobío, Claudio Rosales Pacheco in Ñuble and Cristián Acevedo Yáñez in Atacama.
The other two promotions go to technical areas. Fernando Gómez Rojas will lead the Directorate of Information and Communications Technologies. Alberto Veloso Abril, from the Justice branch, will become director of Justice.
The institution itself confirmed the approval on X. According to a post on the official Carabineros de Chile account, this will be the Alto Mando del Centenario (Centennial High Command), tasked with leading the uniformed police up to its 100th anniversary.
The source does not detail the reasons for each retirement or when the new appointees formally take office. Carabineros was founded in 1927, so the new leadership will head the institution during its centennial year, in 2027.
