Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez meets the new high command of the Bolivarian National Armed Force in Miraflores Palace, March 19, 2026. Photo: Presidential Press.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, made changes to the Military High Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB). The appointment of the new High Command, announced on Thursday, March 19, follows the appointment of General-in-Chief Gustavo González López as the new minister of defense. They will have "the firm commitment and patriotic loyalty to guarantee the sovereignty, peace, stability, and territorial integrity of the Republic," the acting president stated.
Rodríguez appointed Major General Rafael David Prieto Martínez as the Strategic Operational Commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Force, who replaces General-in-Chief Domingo Hernández Lárez, who had held the position since July 2021.
Rafael Prieto Martínez had been serving as FANB's inspector general since 2024.
Major General Jesús Rafael Villamizar Gómez was appointed as the second-in-command of CEOFANB. He had been in charge of the Central Strategic Region of Integral Defense (REDI) since 2024. He is one of the 21 officials sanctioned by the US regime in November 2024.
Major General Rubén Darío Belzares Escobar has been appointed as the commander of the Bolivarian Army, a position previously held by Major General Johan Alexander Hernández Lárez. The newly appointed commander previously served as the joint director of the Special Security Regime of CEOFANB and as the former commander of the Mérida Integral Defense Operational Zone (ZODI).
The General Command of the Bolivarian Navy will be led by Admiral Jorge Alejandro Agüero Montes. He served as commander of the Integral Defense Operational Zone (ZODI) in Nueva Esparta, as well as commander of the Coast Guard and the Naval School of Venezuela. He replaces Admiral Ashraf Andel Hadi Suleimán Gutiérrez.
The General Command of the Bolivarian Military Aviation will be held by Major General Royman Antonio Hernández Briceño. Since October 2024, he has been leading the REDI Los Llanos. He replaces General Lenín Ramírez Villasmil.
Major General Juan Ernesto Sulbarán Quintero will lead the General Command of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB). This position had been held by Major General Elio Estrada Paredes since October 2024. The newly appointed commander served as the head of the REDI East. In October 2022, he was appointed by President Nicolás Maduro as the Sole Authority of Las Tejerías, Aragua. His mission is to lead the reconstruction of the locality, following the severe landslide caused by the heavy rains, which had claimed the lives of over 40 people.
The general commander of the Bolivarian Militia will be Major General Náyade Lockiby Belmonte. In July 2024, he was appointed the Sole Authority of Cumanacoa to address the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl in the region in Sucre state. He replaces Orlando Romero Bolívar.
Major General Dilio Guillermo Rodríguez Díaz has been appointed as the inspector general of the FANB.
On Thursday, Acting President Rodríguez ratified the appointment of Major General Henry Navas Rumbos as commander of the Presidential Honor Guard and Germán Gómez as head of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). Since January 2026, these positions had been held by the now-minister of defense, General-in-Chief Gustavo González López.
Changes in REDI commands
On Friday, March 20, Rodríguez announced the appointment of new commanders of the Strategic Regions of Integral Defense (REDI). On January 21, just two weeks after the US aggression on January 3, changes had already been made to these regional commands.
“With these changes, we strengthen the operational capacity of the REDI, ensuring strategic defense, the protection of our communities, and effective coordination with the various citizen security bodies to safeguard all Venezuelans,” stated the acting president.
She announced that César Augusto Lugo Rivera will be in charge of REDI Capital, Ángel Daniel Balestrini Jaramillo will head REDI Central, Gustavo Adolfo Serrano Urdaneta will lead REDI Los Llanos, Erasmo Eduardo Iriza will be in charge of REDI East, Pedro Esteban González Ovalles will head REDI West, Pablo Ernesto Lizano Colmenter will lead REDI Los Andes, Wilfredo Alexander Medrano Machado will lead REDI Guayana, and Víctor Hugo Borjas Trujillo will be in charge of the Maritime and Insular REDI.
(Diario VEA) by Yuleidys Hernández Toledo, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
