President Luis Abinader swore in new high-ranking commanders of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic and the National Police at the National Palace in Santo Domingo on Monday afternoon.
The leadership changes were announced on Sunday through Decrees 557-26 and 558-26, which were issued on August 16 to mark the 163rd anniversary of Dominican Restoration Day.
The official ceremony took place in the Ambassador Room of the presidential building, where Abinader administered the oath of office to senior military and police officers taking on new responsibilities across the nation's defense and security institutions.
Air Force and defense ministry leadership
Among those sworn in was General Enmanuel Marcelino Souffront Tamayo, who was promoted to the rank of major general and designated as commander general of the Air Force of the Dominican Republic.
Major General Jorge Iván Camino Pérez officially assumed the position of inspector general of the Armed Forces, taking over the role from Major General Delio Buenaventura Conor Rosario.
Conor Rosario was appointed Vice Minister of Defense for Military Affairs, succeeding Major General Miguel Ángel Rubio Páez, who was placed into retirement.
Major General Jimmy Arias Grullón was also sworn in during the ceremony as the new commander general of the Army of the Dominican Republic.
Presidential security and police commands
Changes were also made within the presidential security apparatus. Brigadier General Guillermo Caro Cruz was promoted to major general in the Army and named chief of the Presidential Security Corps. Brigadier General Rafael Raimundo Ramírez Tejeda was named commander of the Presidential Guard Regiment of the Army.
General Ernesto Rafael Rodríguez García was sworn in as the new director general of the National Police. He was promoted to major general of the police force under Decree 558-26, succeeding Andrés Cruz Cruz, who departed after a six-month tenure that marked the shortest police leadership term in three decades.
Official oath and state commemoration
During the ceremony, the newly appointed officers swore before God and the Dominican people to comply with and enforce the Constitution and laws, protect national independence, respect institutional rules, and execute their duties faithfully.
The military restructuring comes as President Abinader enters the third year of his second presidential term. The ceremony coincides with Restoration Day, an annual national holiday commemorating the start of the 1863 Restoration War that restored Dominican sovereignty following Spanish annexation.
