Javier Eduardo Iturriaga del Campo (born 26 October 1965) is a Chilean military general. He obtained a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in military science and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in the same area with a major in planning and strategic management from

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and ...

War Academy. He is known for having been appointed Chief for National Defense of

Santiago Metropolitan Region Santiago Metropolitan Region ( es, link=no, Región Metropolitana de Santiago) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago. Mos ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...

during the

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

that he decreted in 2019–20 riots famously known as Estallido Social de Chile.

Early life

He is the son of Dante Iturriaga Marchese, a military man by profession, and Gloria del Campo Ortiz. He is the second of six siblings and nephew of the also militar Pablo Iturriaga, Cautín Province Mayor in 1974 involved in human right violations cases during

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...

(1973–1990).

Military career

He joined the Military Academy of General Libertator Bernardo O'Higgins in 1980. During his military career, he has served as a

General Staff Officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

and Infantry Weapon and Military Academy Professor. Likewise, he has Commando and Paratrooper specialties. In 2014, he was designed by the

Michelle Bachelet as a

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. In 2017, Iturriaga gained notoriety during January wildfires in Chile where he assumed the control of military forces in the town of Santa Olga. One year later, in November 2018, he was appointed by the President

as the General of the Chilean Army after the removal of eighteen generals amid the institution crisis related to economic fraud. Thus, he served as the Commander of Education and Doctrine of the Army. On 19 October 2019, Iturriaga was appointed by Piñera as Chief for National Defense of

during 2019–20 riots («Estallido Social» or «Social Outbreak»). Related to this appointment, centrist and far-left online media referred to him as «Tough man», specifically El Dínamo and La Izquierda Diario ( troskist); this last one emphasized in his relatives convicted for human rights violations. By the other hand, after Piñera's declaration about «being in war» on 20 October, the next day, he unmarked himself saying he was a happy man and that he wasn't at war with anyone. Thus, the public opinion and media would later remember him for that phrase. On 23 October 2020, participated in the unveiling of the bust of Peruvian

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Francisco Bolognesi at Escuela Militar, ceremony that was attended by Jaime Pomareda Montenegro, Ambassador of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

in Chile. There, according the

Government of Peru , border = Central , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Peru , date = 1990 , state = Peru , address = Government Palace , leader_title = President of PeruWhile there is ...

, «(...) Iturriaga extensively referred to Peruvian hero bravery and his value as a source of inspiration and an example of the fulfillment of duty for young cadets who are studying at (Chilean Army's) Military School». Likewise, Iturriaga highlighted the important place that Colonel Bolognesi's bust will occupy at Plaza Bicentenario, place where there are another figures of other

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-e ...

heroes that adorn it. On 13 November 2020, President Piñera appointed him as Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Defence.

References

External links

Profile at

Website People from Santiago Chilean military personnel {{DEFAULTSORT:Iturriaga del Campo, Javier 1965 births Living people