Ecuadorian President replaces Air Force commander

President Daniel Noboa has appointed Brigadier General Mauro Bedoya Avilés as the new commander of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE), replacing Lieutenant General Mauricio Xavier Salazar Machuca via Executive Decree 496.

The removal of Salazar Machuca follows his recent request for explicit legal guarantees regarding the temporary operations of the United States Air Force (USAF) at Taura Air Base. In a letter sent on September 8, Salazar emphasized the need to define the legal scope of U.S. troop presence to ensure compliance with Article 5 of the Ecuadorian Constitution, which prohibits the installation of foreign military bases on national territory.

Salazar had urged the establishment of specific agreements to provide a “habilitating framework” for bilateral cooperation while preserving Ecuadorian operational and administrative control over the base. Bedoya Avilés, a military pilot with specialized training in combat tactics from France, Israel, and Brazil, will hold the honorary rank of Air General during his tenure.