Juan Antonio Martínez Varela

Juan Antonio Martínez Varela Martínez (born 1952) is a retired Salvadoran military officer and pilot who served as Minister of National Defense from 1999 until 2004. He was also Chief of the General Staff of the Salvadoran Air Force and Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of El Salvador.

Early life

Juan Antonio Martínez Varela Martínez was born in 1952 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Martínez Varela's parents were Colonel Juan Antonio Martínez Varela Jule and Bertha Isabel Martínez Martínez de Varela. Martínez Varela's father served as Minister of the Interior during the presidency of Alfredo Cristiani from 1989 to 1994 and signed the Chapultepec Peace Accords that ended the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992. Martínez Varela has seven siblings.

Martínez Varela held several commands in the Salvadoran Air Force. He was commander of the Combat Wing, chief of Operations of the Air General Staff, and commander of the 2nd Air Brigade. In 1992, he was promoted to colonel. The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front questioned Guzmán Morales' replacement as being politically motivated while Calderón Sol assured that it was merely a restructuring. In late 2003, Martínez Varela visited soldiers of the Cuscatlán Battalion in Iraq who were deployed to render humanitarian aid during the Iraq War. Martínez Varela was replaced by Divisional General Otto Romero when Flores' term ended on 1 June 2004.

Awards and decorations

Fighter's Medal

White Nun Medal

Dates of ranks