| Minister of National Defense of El Salvador | |
|---|---|
| Ministro de Defensa Nacional | |
| Ministry of National Defense | |
| Reports to | President of El Salvador |
| Appointer | President of El Salvador |
| Formation | 1 March 1900 |
| First holder | Fernando Figueroa |
The Minister of National Defense of El Salvador (Spanish : 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.
The position of Minister of National Defense was created on 1 March 1900 by President Tomás Regalado. [1]
| 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 | 14 February 1913 | 1 year, 350 days | Army | [1] |
| 4 |  | Doctor Francisco Martínez Suárez (?–?) | February 1913 | 3 March 1915 | 2 years, 30 daysc. | Independent | |
| 5 |  | Brigadier General Luis Alonso Barahona (1867–1915) | 3 March 1915 | 20 October 1915 | 231 days | Army | [1] |
| 6 | | Doctor Enrique Córdova (?–?) | 20 October 1915 | 1 March 1923 | 7 years, 132 days | National Democratic Party | [1] |
| 7 |  | Doctor Pío Romero Bosque (1860–1935) | 1 March 1923 | 1 March 1927 | 4 years, 0 days | National Democratic Party | [1] |
| 8 | | Doctor Alberto Gómez Zárate (?–?) | 1 March 1927 | May 1930 | 3 years, 91 daysc. | National Democratic Party | [1] |
| (7) | | Doctor Pío Romero Bosque (1860–1935) | May 1930 | 1 March 1931 | 304 daysc. | National Democratic Party | [1] |
| 9 |  | Brigadier General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (1882–1966) | 1 March 1931 | 1 December 1931 | 275 days | Army | [1] |
| 10 | | Salvador López Rochac (?–?) | 1 December 1931 | 2 December 1931 | 1 day | Labor Party | |
| – |  | 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] |
| 11 |  | 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] |
| 12 |  | Brigadier General Salvador Castaneda Castro (1888–1965) | 1 March 1945 | March 1945 | 29 daysc. | Unification Social Democratic Party/Army | [1] |
| 13 | | Brigadier General Mauro Espínola Castro (?–?) | March 1945 | 14 December 1948 | 3 years, 288 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| – | | Lieutenant Colonel Fidel Rodríguez Quintanilla (?–?) Acting | 14 December 1948 | 14 September 1950 | 1 year, 274 days | Army | [1] |
| 14 | | Lieutenant Colonel Óscar Bolaños (?–?) | 14 September 1950 | December 1953 | 3 years, 108 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| 15 | | Colonel Marco Antonio Molina (?–?) | December 1953 | 14 September 1956 | 2 years, 288 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| 16 | | 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 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| – | | Major Óscar Rodríguez Simó (?–?) Acting | May 1961 | November 1961 | 213 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| – | | Colonel Armando Díaz Liévano (?–?) Acting | November 1961 | 1 July 1962 | 242 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| 17 | | Colonel Marco Aurelio Zacapa (?–?) | 1 July 1962 | 1 July 1967 | 5 years, 0 days | Army | [1] |
| 18 | | Brigadier General Fidel Torres (?–?) | 1 July 1967 | 1 July 1972 | 5 years, 0 days | Army | [1] |
| 19 |  | Brigadier General Carlos Humberto Romero (1924–2017) | 1 July 1972 | 1 July 1977 | 5 years, 0 days | National Conciliation Party/Army | [1] |
| 20 | | 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 daysc. | Army | [1] [2] |
| 21 |  | Brigadier General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova (1937–2023) | April 1983 | May 1989 | 6 years, 60 daysc. | Army | [1] [3] |
| 22 | | Brigadier General Rafael Humberto Larios López (born 1937) | May 1989 | August 1990 | 1 year, 121 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| 23 | | Brigadier General René Emilio Ponce (1947–2011) | August 1990 | June 1993 | 2 years, 333 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| 24 | | Brigadier General Humberto Corado Figueroa (born 1948) | June 1993 | 1 January 1996 | 2 years, 214 daysc. | Army | [1] |
| 25 | | Brigadier General Jaime Guzmán Morales (?–?) | 1 January 1996 | 1 January 1999 | 3 years, 0 days | Army | [1] |
| 26 |  | General of Aviation Juan Antonio Martínez Varela (?–) | 1 January 1999 | 1 June 2004 | 5 years, 152 days | Air Force | [1] |
| 27 |  | Brigadier General Otto Alejandro Romero Orellana (born 1955) | 1 June 2004 | 1 January 2008 | 3 years, 214 days | Army | [1] |
| 28 | | Divisional General Jorge Alberto Molina Contreras (1956–) | 1 January 2008 | 1 June 2009 | 1 year, 151 days | Army | [1] [4] |
| 29 |  | Divisional General David Munguía Payés (born ?) | 1 June 2009 | 23 November 2011 | 2 years, 175 days | Army | [1] |
| 30 |  | Brigadier General José Atilio Benítez Parada (born 1958) | 23 November 2011 | 12 July 2013 | 1 year, 201 days | Army | [1] |
| (29) | | Divisional General David Munguía Payés (born ?) | 12 July 2013 | 1 June 2019 | 5 years, 324 days | Army | [1] |
| 31 |  | Vice Admiral René Merino Monroy (born 1963) | 1 June 2019 | Incumbent | 4 years, 243 days | Navy | [5] [6] |
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