List of commanders-in-chief of the Chilean Army

This article lists the commanders-in-chief of the Chilean Army. The Chilean Army (Spanish: Ejército de Chile) is the land force of Chile. The Chilean Army dates back to 1810.

Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army
Flag of the Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army
Incumbent Javier Iturriaga del Campo since 9 March 2022
Chilean Army
Reports to	Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Defence
Seat	Santiago (commune)
Appointer	President of Chile
Term length	4 years
Formation	31 March 1813
First holder	José Miguel Carrera Verdugo
Salary	$ 4,459,472

The current Commander-in-Chief is Army General Javier Iturriaga del Campo. He was appointed by former President Sebastián Piñera on 9 March 2022.

Independence and national organization (1810–1830)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office
Army Commander-in-chief
1		Verdugo, JoséBrigadier José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (1785–1821)	31 March 1813	23 November 1813	237 days
2		Verdugo, JoséColonel Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (1778–1842)	27 November 1813	2 September 1814	279 days
(1)		Verdugo, JoséBrigadier José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (1785–1821)	28 August 1814	2 October 1814	35 days
3		Matorras, JoséCaptain General José de San Martín Matorras (1778–1850)	5 June 1817	27 April 1819	1 year, 326 days
(2)		Verdugo, JoséCaptain General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (1778–1842)	27 April 1819	28 January 1823	3 years, 276 days
4		Serrano, RamónCaptain General Ramón Freire Serrano (1787–1851)	21 February 1823	2 April 1830	7 years, 40 days

Conservative and liberal republics (1830–1891)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office
Army Commander-in-chief
1		Vial, JoséDivisional General José Joaquín Prieto Vial (1830–1894)	2 April 1830	18 September 1841	11 years, 169 days
2		Prieto, ManuelDivisional General Manuel Bulnes Prieto (1799–1866)	18 September 1841	18 October 1866 †	25 years, 30 days
Senior General Officer
3		Campo, MarcosDivisional General Marcos Maturana del Campo (1802–1871)	18 October 1866	21 December 1870	4 years, 64 days
4		Jarpa, JuanDivisional General Juan Jarpa (1804–1876)	8 August 1871	31 December 1875	4 years, 145 days
5		Jarpa, JuanDivisional General Basilio Urrutia (1816–1881)	31 December 1875	7 April 1879	3 years, 97 days
Field Commander-in-chief
6		Cuevas, JustoDivisional General Justo Arteaga Cuevas (1805–1882)	8 April 1879	18 July 1879	101 days
7		Arriagada, ErasmoDivisional General Erasmo Escala Arriagada (1826–1884)	18 July 1879	28 March 1880	254 days
8		González, ManuelDivisional General Manuel Baquedano González (1823–1897)	3 April 1880	3 May 1881	1 year, 30 days
Inspector General
9		Rodríguez, CornelioDivisional General Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez (1821–1891)	3 May 1881	19 December 1883	2 years, 230 days
10		Baeza, EmilioDivisional General Emilio Sotomayor Baeza (1826–1894)	4 January 1884	22 August 1888	4 years, 231 days
Field Commander-in-chief
11		Castro, JoséDivisional General José Francisco Gana Castro (1828–1894)	22 August 1888	4 September 1891	3 years, 13 days

Parliamentary republic (1891–1925)

No.	Portrait	Inspector General	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Arriagada, MarcoDivisional General Marco Aurelio Arriagada (1830–1894)	14 September 1891	28 August 1894 †	2 years, 348 days
2		Urzúa, AdolfoDivisional General Adolfo Holley Urzúa (1833–1914)	28 August 1894	13 October 1900	6 years, 46 days
3		Korner, EmilioDivisional General Emilio Korner (1846–1920)	13 October 1900	19 April 1910	9 years, 188 days
4		Korner, EmilioDivisional General Jorge Boonen Rivera (1858–1921)	19 April 1910	26 April 1921	11 years, 7 days
5		Concha, ArístidesDivisional General Arístides Pinto Concha (1859–1924)	26 April 1921	13 February 1922	293 days
6		Talavera, LuisDivisional General Luis Altamirano Talavera (1867–1938)	13 February 1922	28 November 1924	2 years, 289 days
7		Encina, PedroDivisional General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina (1873–1944)	28 November 1924	23 January 1925	56 days
8		Ciris, MarianoDivisional General Mariano Navarrete Ciris (1866–1940)	31 January 1925	10 November 1925	283 days

Presidential republic (1925–1973)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office
Inspector General
1		Vega, JuanDivisional General Juan Emilio Ortiz Vega (1869–1939)	11 November 1925	7 January 1927	1 year, 57 days
2		Díaz, FranciscoDivisional General Francisco Javier Díaz Valderrama (1877–1950)	18 February 1927	20 March 1930	3 years, 2 days
3		Charpin, PedroDivisional General Pedro Charpin Rival (1876–1958)	21 March 1930	7 November 1930	231 days
Army Commander-in-chief
4		Blanche, BartoloméDivisional General Bartolomé Blanche Espejo (1879–1970)	7 November 1930	4 August 1931	270 days
(3)		Charpin, PedroDivisional General Pedro Charpin Rival (1876–1956)	5 August 1931	22 August 1931	17 days
5		Téllez, IndalicioDivisional General Indalicio Téllez Cárcamo (1876–1964)	25 August 1931	11 June 1932	291 days
6		Moreno, AgustínDivisional General Agustín Moreno Ladrón de Guevara (1879–1964)	15 June 1932	2 August 1932	1 year, 48 days
7		Otero, LuisDivisional General Luis Otero Mujica (1879–1940)	3 August 1932	26 December 1932	145 days
8		Vignola, PedroDivisional General Pedro Vignola Cortés (1879–1941)	26 December 1932	21 December 1933	360 days
9		Urrutia, MarcialDivisional General Marcial Urrutia Urrutia (1882–19??)	23 December 1933	27 March 1934	94 days
10		Novoa, ÓscarDivisional General Óscar Novoa Fuentes (1886–1978)	27 March 1934	20 December 1938	4 years, 268 days
11		Fuentes, CarlosDivisional General Carlos Fuentes Rabe (1887–1974)	26 December 1938	23 August 1940	1 year, 241 days
12		Escudero, ÓscarDivisional General Óscar Escudero Otárola (1891–1957)	23 August 1940	8 March 1943	2 years, 197 days
13		Espinoza, ArturoDivisional General Arturo Espinoza Mujica (1890–19??)	12 August 1943	11 October 1944	1 year, 60 days
14		Portales, AlfredoDivisional General Alfredo Portales Mourgues (1892–19??)	8 November 1944	12 November 1944	1 year, 4 days
15		Fuentes, ÓscarDivisional General Óscar Fuentes Pantoja (1895–19??)	12 November 1945	29 November 1946	1 year, 17 days
16		Barrios, GuillermoDivisional General Guillermo Barrios Tirado (1893–1967)	29 November 1946	2 August 1947	246 days
17		Cañas, RamónDivisional General Ramón Cañas Montalva (1896–1977)	2 August 1947	8 October 1949	2 years, 67 days
(16)		Barrios, GuillermoDivisional General Guillermo Barrios Tirado (1893–1967)	8 October 1949	9 January 1950	93 days
18		Fernández, RafaelDivisional General Rafael Fernández Reyes (1897–1964)	9 January 1950	28 October 1952	2 years, 293 days
19		Danús, SantiagoDivisional General Santiago Danús Peña (1896–19??)	3 November 1952	11 March 1953	128 days
20		Mezzano, CarlosDivisional General Carlos Mezzano Camino (1902–1991)	11 March 1953	10 June 1954	1 year, 91 days
21		Hidalgo, EnriqueDivisional General Enrique Franco Hidalgo (1900–1988)	11 June 1954	17 March 1955	279 days
22		Araya, RaúlDivisional General Raúl Araya Stiglich (1901–1989)	17 March 1955	8 May 1956	1 year, 52 days
23		Vidal, LuisDivisional General Luis Vidal Vargas (1904–19??)	8 May 1956	3 November 1958	2 years, 179 days
24		Vidal, RenéDivisional General René Vidal Merino (1901–1987)	3 November 1958	13 November 1958	10 days
25		Izurieta, ÓscarDivisional General Óscar Izurieta Molina (1909–1990)	14 November 1958	3 November 1964	5 years, 355 days
26		Parada, BernardinoDivisional General Bernardino Parada Moreno (1908–1968)	4 November 1964	4 July 1967	2 years, 242 days
27		Miqueles, LuisDivisional General Luis Miqueles Caridi (1911–2000)	5 July 1967	3 May 1968	303 days
28		Castillo, SergioDivisional General Sergio Castillo Aránguiz (1912–2012)	3 May 1968	24 October 1969	1 year, 174 days
29		Schneider, RenéDivisional General René Schneider Chereau (1913–1970)	27 October 1969	22 October 1970	360 days
30		Prats, CarlosDivisional General Carlos Prats González (1915–1974)	26 October 1970	23 August 1973	2 years, 301 days

Military regime and the present (1973–present)

No.	Portrait	Army Commander-in-chief	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Pinochet, AugustoCaptain General Augusto Pinochet (1915–2006)	23 August 1973	10 March 1998	24 years, 199 days
2		Izurieta, RicardoLieutenant General Ricardo Izurieta (1943–2014)	11 March 1998	10 March 2002	3 years, 364 days
3		Cheyre, JuanLieutenant General Juan Emilio Cheyre (born 1947)	11 March 2002	10 March 2006	3 years, 364 days
4		Ferrer, ÓscarArmy General Óscar Izurieta Ferrer (born 1950)	11 March 2006	9 March 2010	3 years, 363 days
5		Fuente-Alba, JuanArmy General Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba (born 1953)	10 March 2010	9 March 2014	3 years, 364 days
6		Oviedo, HumbertoArmy General Humberto Oviedo (born 1959)	10 March 2014	9 March 2018	3 years, 364 days
7		Menanteau, RicardoArmy General Ricardo Martínez Menanteau (born 1960)	9 March 2018	9 March 2022	4 years
8		Iturriaga del Campo, JavierArmy General Javier Iturriaga del Campo (born 1965)	9 March 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 251 days

See also

• Chilean Army
• List of commanders-in-chief of the Chilean Navy
• List of commanders-in-chief of the Chilean Air Force