Overview
- Supreme Resolutions 078-2025-DE and 079-2025-DE, signed by President José Jerí and Defense Minister César Díaz Peche, formalized Carlos Chávez’s retirement and Mario Contreras’s appointment effective November 6.
- Contreras assumed command in a public ceremony at Las Palmas Air Base in Surco attended by the president, the defense minister and senior civil and military authorities.
- Officials and military sources say the leadership change will not alter the calendar for acquiring 24 fighter jets, with US$3.5 billion allocated and the process reported to be in its final stage.
- Current contenders cited in the process include the F-16 Block 70, Dassault Rafale F4 and Saab Gripen E/F, with suppliers indicating more attractive proposals.
- Chávez ended a two-year tenure after 40 years of service, and the Fiscalía’s investigation into the death of pilot Ashley Vargas remains ongoing.