Máximo Venegas appointed as Chile's new Joint Staff Chief

Chilean President José Antonio Kast has appointed Air Force General Máximo Venegas Raggio as the new Chief of the Joint Staff (EMCO) for a two-year term. The announcement was made during an audience at La Moneda Palace, attended by Defense Minister Fernando Barros and the outgoing chief, General Leonardo Romanini Gutiérrez.

General Venegas, 59, succeeds Romanini, who has been designated as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Air Force. Romanini is expected to formally assume his new command on November 5, following a change of command ceremony scheduled for October 30.

The Joint Staff is an agency under the Ministry of National Defense responsible for advising on the preparation and joint employment of the Armed Forces. Its mission includes strategic planning and coordinating the capabilities of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to ensure interoperability and integrated action for national defense missions.