Ecuador Replaces Its Air Force Chief Two Days After a Leaked Memo
ECUADOR · DEFENCE
Key Facts
- —What happened President Daniel Noboa replaced the head of Ecuador’s air force on 10 September.
- —Who Lieutenant General Mauricio Salazar Machuca, replaced by Brigadier General Mauro Bedoya Avilés.
- —The instrument Executive Decree 496. It gives no reason beyond thanks for his service.
- —The context Two days earlier Salazar had sent an internal memo about hosting United States flights at Taura air base.
- —The correction He did not criticise anything in public. The memo leaked after he sent it.
- —The constitutional point Ecuadorians voted in November 2025 against allowing foreign military bases.
A general asked in writing what the legal basis was for hosting American aircraft. Two days later he was replaced. No official source has connected those two facts.
Ecuador’s president replaced the commander of the air force by decree on 10 September. The timing has drawn attention because of a document that leaked days later.
What the Memo Said
On 8 September, Lieutenant General Mauricio Salazar Machuca sent an official communication to the head of the joint command.
He asked for directives covering bilateral cooperation activities at Taura air base in Guayas province.
Specifically, he sought the authorisations or legal mechanisms that would allow temporary United States Air Force flights and use of infrastructure.
His concern was constitutional. He asked how this could be done without constituting a foreign military base, citing Article 5 of the constitution.
This was an internal request for guidance, not a public statement. It reached social media around 12 and 13 September.
What the Decree Did
Executive Decree 496 was signed on 10 September 2026, two days after the memo.
It removed Salazar and appointed Brigadier General Mauro Enrique Bedoya Avilés in his place, in the same document.
The decree gives no disciplinary finding and no reason. It thanks him for his service.
Neither the presidency nor the defence ministry has issued a statement linking the removal to the memo. The connection is an inference drawn from the two-day gap.
The Base Question
There is no United States base in Ecuador, and the constitutional bar on one is recent and popular.
On 16 November 2025 Ecuadorians voted against lifting the Article 5 prohibition. The no vote was about 60.55%.
American personnel nonetheless operate in Ecuador, under a set of bilateral agreements rather than a base treaty.
The framework is a status of forces agreement, signed in October 2023 and ratified in February 2024. Maritime interdiction and aerial interception accords sit alongside it.
In August 2026 the interior ministry created a special migratory registration. It lets United States defence personnel, civilians and contractors enter for up to 180 days a year.
Manta Is Not Taura
Coverage has mixed up two air bases, and the distinction is the news.
The American presence announced in December 2025 is at Manta, on the coast. Defence officials described it as temporary and not a permanent base.
That was the first United States presence at Manta since 2009, when the previous arrangement ended.
The memo that leaked concerns Taura, a different base in Guayas. That is what makes it new rather than a rehash of the Manta arrangement.
Why This Is Sensitive
Ecuador has been fighting an extraordinary wave of organised crime violence, and the government has sought foreign help openly.
It is also bound by a constitutional provision that voters declined to change ten months ago. Those two facts pull against each other.
A serving commander asking for the legal basis in writing is, on its face, the correct professional behaviour.
Whether the removal relates to that request is exactly what has not been established.
What Is Not Known
No official reason for the change of command has been published. Salazar has not spoken publicly.
It is not known whether the Taura proposal is proceeding, or on what legal basis.
Nor has the government said whether the leak itself is being investigated. For now the sequence is documented and the causation is not.
More: Ecuador news and analysis, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was replaced?
Lieutenant General Mauricio Salazar Machuca, head of the Ecuadorian air force, by Executive Decree 496 on 10 September 2026.
Why was he replaced?
No reason has been given. The decree thanks him for his service.
What did his memo say?
It asked for the legal basis to host temporary United States flights at Taura air base without creating a foreign base.
Is there a US base in Ecuador?
No. Ecuadorians voted against allowing foreign bases in November 2025, by about 60.55%.
How do US personnel operate there?
Under a status of forces agreement and related accords, plus a 2026 migratory registration allowing 180-day stays.
Is Manta the same as Taura?
No. The American presence announced in December 2025 is at Manta. The leaked memo concerns Taura.
Sources: Registro Oficial, Presidencia del Ecuador, El Universo, Primicias, La Jornada, Radio Pichincha.
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