More changes to the military

[NewsWhore]

President Leonel Fernandez made even more changes to the Dominican Air Force and the Army after warning in his speech to Congress that he would not hesitate to clean up the "social disgraces" from the Armed Forces and the National Police. The President made 13 new designations in the Air Force and the Army and one in the National Police. In Decree 165-09, the President removed the Assistant Chief of the Air Force, Jesus A. Diaz Ramirez, and replaced him with Brigadier General Israel A. Diaz Pena. Decree 166-09 designates Brigadier General Ruben D. Paulino Sem as the commander of the Second Brigade of the Army, in substitution of General Justo Fernandez Tejeda, who was assigned to the command of the Combat Support Brigade. Fernandez Tejeda replaces Cirilo R. Escarraman Minaya who was not given a new role. Likewise, General Felipe A. Henriquez Molina was designated commander of the Fourth Infantry Brigade to replace Paulino Sem. General Manuel Antonio Perozo Castillo was named commander of the Fifth Infantry Brigade in substitution of Brigadier Paulino Medina Gratereaux, who was appointed as director general of Military Training for the Army, replacing General Henriquez Molina. Decree 167-09, signed by President Fernandez, removes retired major General Jose Noble Espejo as chief of the Election Police and in his place named Army General Jose Lopez Peralta. Meanwhile, General Jose Taveras Arias was named commander of the Support and Service Brigade to replace Leonardo E. Sabater Nunez. The Chief Executive also appointed General Abraham E. Luna Rodriguez as director of the Armed Forces Social Security Institute (ISSFFAA) in substitution of Lopez Peralta. Decree 170-09 designated police Colonel Francisco Romero Lopez as director of security of the School Police in substitution of General Juan T. Taveras Rodriguez. Although many have linked the changes in the Armed Forces and the National Police to the measures announced by the President as part of a "clean-up" of the forces whose members are tied to drug trafficking and organized crime, Presidency Minister Cesar Pina Toribio told reporters that "many of the retirements" were routine and had nothing to do with serious faults on their service records.
General Luis de Jesus Pena Jimenez was appointed Air Force intelligence director (A-2) replacing General Ulises Cedano Santana, the officer who moved Major Jorge Luis Vargas Cuello from the Dario Contreras Hospital to the military hospital on the San Isidro Air Base after the raid on the Parmalat facility. According to Santo Domingo province prosecutor Perfecto Acosta, if the investigations find that there are ties between the officer and the perpetrators of the raid, he will be arrested and taken to court, but as of now, nothing has been reported about any investigation concerning this officer. In the same decree, General Cedano Santana was named commander of the San Isidro Air Base.

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