The Puerto Rico Adjutant General ( es, Ayudante General de Puerto Rico) is the Commander of the

Puerto Rico National Guard The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG) – es, Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico– is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and s ...

. As the Adjutant General he is also the Senior Military Advisor to the

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty ...

and oversees both State and Federal Missions of the

. He provides leadership and management in the implementation of all programs and policies affecting more than 10,500 citizen-soldiers and airmen, and civilian employees of the three components of the PR National Guard:

Puerto Rico Army National Guard The Puerto Rico Army National Guard (PRARNG) — officially designated in Spanish as ''Guardia Nacional Terrestre de Puerto Rico'', but colloquially known as ''Ejército de la Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico'' — is the Army National Guard of the ...

Puerto Rico Air National Guard The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) — es, Guardia Nacional Aérea de Puerto Rico— is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is, along with the Puerto Ri ...

and

Puerto Rico State Guard The Puerto Rico State Guard (PRSG) — es, Guardia Estatal de Puerto Rico— is the state defense force of Puerto Rico that operates under the sole authority of the governor of Puerto Rico who, in turn, delegates such authority to the Puerto Ric ...

. It is the responsibility of the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth to share his reports with the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

or the

Secretary of the Air Force A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

. The Adjutant General has a Deputy Adjutant General, who is the principal advisor assisting in the discharge of responsibilities in the areas of logistics, fiscal compliance, and personnel administration.

History

In 1906, a group of Puerto Ricans met with the United States appointed Governor of Puerto Rico

Beekman Winthrop Beekman Winthrop (September 18, 1874 – November 10, 1940) was an American lawyer, government official and banker. He served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1904 to 1907, as assistant secretary of the Treasury in 1907–1909, and assistant se ...

, and suggested the organization of a Puerto Rican National Guard. The petition failed because the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

prohibits the formation of any armed force within the United States and its territories without the authorization of Congress. Puerto Ricans served in the "Porto Rico Regiment" (later renamed

65th Infantry Regiment The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Taíno Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et Fidelita ...

) as part of the regular

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, many of which received their military training at

Camp Las Casas Camp Las Casas was a United States military installation established in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry," On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of ...

in Santurce a sector of

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

. Luis R. Esteves, the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, helped organize the 23rd Battalion, which would be composed of Puerto Ricans and be stationed in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

during World War I. It became apparent to Esteves that Puerto Rico was in need of a National Guard. Esteves and various officers took up the matter with then U.S. appointed governor of Puerto Rico

Arthur Yager Arthur Yager (October 29, 1858 – December 24, 1941) served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1913 to 1921. Biography Yager was born in Campbellsburg in Henry County, Kentucky. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgetown Coll ...

after the war. Esteves' efforts were successful and with the approval of the Governor and the Insular Legislature, the Puerto Rican National Guard was organized in 1919. In 1919, Governor Yager named Major John A. Wilson (U.S. Army) the first Adjutant of Puerto Rico. The

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

is a military rank or appointment. The position did not require that Wilson hold the rank of general. The appointment of the Adjutant of Puerto Rico was the responsibility of the Governor. As such, he assisted the Governor in military matters.BRIGADIER GENERAL (PR) Antonio J. Vicens-Gonzalez
Major Wilson served as Adjutant of Puerto Rico until his death in 1938. Major General Luis Raul Esteves, was the first Commanding Officer of the Puerto Rico National Guard, and in 1938, became the first "Adjutant General", a position which he held until his retirement on June 30, 1957. As Adjutant General he was the Governor's senior military adviser and oversaw both state and federal missions of the Puerto Rico National Guard.

Adjutant General appointments: 2015 - present

In July 2015, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla named Colonel Martha Carcana Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard. She is the first Puerto Rican woman to be named as such. In January 2017, Brigadier General

Isabelo Rivera Isabelo Rivera Negrón (born 1956) was the 21st Puerto Rico Adjutant General, and the commanding officer of the Puerto Rico National Guard. Early years and education Isabelo Rivera was born in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico. Has a BA in economics fr ...

was named Adjutant General by Governor

Ricardo Rosselló Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (; born March 7, 1979) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019. He resigned on August 2, 2019, after protests related to the Telegramgate scandal. He is the s ...

Commands

Among the units under the command of the Adjutant Generals command are the following: *

***

92nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade The 92nd Military Police Brigade (92nd MP Bde) is a military police brigade of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard. The brigade was formerly an infantry brigade combat team known as the 92nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and then a Maneuver Enhan ...

*** 101st Troop Command *** 191st Regional Support Group **

***

156th Airlift Wing The 156th Wing (156 WG) is a unit of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, stationed at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the wing is operationally gained ...

Former generals

The following are the former and current Adjutant Generals of Puerto Rico:

Gallery

File:Esteves.jpg, Major General Luis R. Esteves File:Juan Cordero 72.jpg, Major General Juan César Cordero Davila File:Salvador T. Roig.jpg, Brigadier General Salvador T. Roig File:Orlando Llenza.jpg, Major General Orlando Llenza File:Luis E. González Vales.jpg, Mayor General Luis González Vales File:Major General Miranda Marin.jpg, Major General William Miranda Marín File:Emilio Diaz Colon.JPG, Major General Emilio Díaz Colón File:David A. Carrión Baralt.jpg, Brigadier General David Carrión Baralt File:Army Brig. Gen. Antonio J. Vincens.jpg, Major General Antonio J. Vicens File:Juan-jose-medina-lamela-brigadier-general-puerto-rico-national-guard.jpg, Brigadier General Juan J. Medina File:Marta Carcana (2).jpg, Major General Marta Carcana File:Isabelo Rivera Negrón.jpg, Brigadier General Isabelo Rivera Negrón File:José J. Reyes (2).jpg, Major General José J. Reyes

Notes

References

{{Government of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Commission on Safety and Public Protection Puerto Rico National Guard Adjutants general of the National Guard of the United States