Ecuador Military Shake-up: Noboa Removes Air Force Chief after Base Letter
ECUADOR · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —What happened Noboa removed air force chief Salazar by decree, two days after his letter on US flights.
- —How big The change replaced the head of one of Ecuador’s three armed services.
- —What it means It puts the legal limits of American military activity in Ecuador back in the spotlight.
- —The catch The decree gave no reason, so any link to the letter remains an interpretation.
- —Who it hits New commander Bedoya inherits close cooperation with United States forces.
- —What comes next The ban on foreign bases stands, so wider US operations would need legal cover.
The Ecuador military lost its air force chief two days after he asked for legal rules at Taura air base.
President Daniel Noboa removed the commander of Ecuador’s air force on 10 September 2026. The Ecuador military change came two days after the officer asked for legal rules on United States flights.
Who was removed and when
Noboa removed Lieutenant General Mauricio Xavier Salazar Machuca. He was commander general of the Ecuadorian Air Force, known at home as the FAE.
Executive Decree 496 ended his duties on 10 September 2026. Brigadier General Mauro Enrique Pablo Julián Bedoya Avilés took the post the same day.
The decree gave no reason for the change. Ecuadorian outlets report that it simply thanked Salazar for his “valuable and loyal services”.
What the officer actually asked for
On 8 September 2026 Salazar sent a confidential letter, filed as Oficio 4544-OF. It went to the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces.
That officer is Army General Henry Santiago Delgado Salvador. The letter was headed a request for guidelines on bilateral cooperation at Taura air base.
Salazar wrote that the United States Air Force planned temporary support flights. The plan involved building work and direct use of the base.
Taura air base sits in Guayas province, in western Ecuador. The Ecuadorian Air Force runs it.
He asked for clear legal rules before that work began. He wanted the scope of the American activity set out in writing.
He wrote that the flights must not amount to setting up a foreign base. He said the FAE must keep operational and administrative control of Taura.
The letter was internal, not a press statement. It reached the public only when Ecuadorian media published it days later.
The law he pointed to
Salazar quoted Article 5 of Ecuador’s Constitution. It calls Ecuador a territory of peace and bans foreign military bases.
The same article bans handing national bases to foreign armed forces. Ecuador adopted this Constitution in 2008.
He also cited three Constitutional Court opinions from January 2024. They set conditions for foreign military activity on Ecuadorian soil.
One opinion dealt with the movement of US Defense Department aircraft, ships and staff. Another dealt with overflights in operations against crime at sea.
No official reason has been given
The government has not said the letter caused the removal. No minister or commander has linked the two in public.
Telesur, a Latin American broadcaster, called the letter the trigger. That is the outlet’s reading of the motive, not an official account.
Radio Pichincha, an Ecuadorian news site, published the letter on 12 September. It reported the removal as coming after the request.
The two events are two days apart. That timing is documented, but a cause has not been established.
The ban on foreign bases still stands
In November 2025 Noboa asked voters to lift the ban. They kept it, rejecting the change by 61 percent.
So the ban remains in force today. Any foreign military work has to fit inside existing law.
In June 2026 Noboa signed a decree on cooperation with allied states. It allowed foreign personnel to work in the most violent provinces.
What United States cooperation looks like now
The United States has no permanent base in Ecuador. Its presence rests on joint operations, short deployments and security agreements.
In March 2026 American and Ecuadorian forces began joint operations against drug gangs. US staff advised and supported the Ecuadorian side.
US Air Force staff went briefly to the Eloy Alfaro base in Manta in December 2025. That work covered counter-narcotics and intelligence.
Ecuador has confirmed that the US soldiers on its soil belong to the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group. American defence staff may enter without a visa for up to 180 days.
Marco Rubio is the United States Secretary of State, Washington’s top diplomat. He visited Ecuador on 9 September 2026, a day before the decree.
On that visit he said he would seek US$45 million more for Ecuadorian security. He also promised equipment for Ecuador’s navy.
Legal questions that remain open
Lawmakers have questioned the legal basis for the American role. EL PAÍS, a Spanish newspaper, reported in May 2026 that Congress had not authorised it.
No report shows a new treaty on bases signed in 2026. No report shows a permanent US base back in Manta.
It is not known whether the Joint Command answered Salazar’s request. The full reasoning behind Decree 496 has not been published.
What happens next
Bedoya Avilés now leads the Ecuadorian Air Force. He is a military pilot and a former defence attaché in Washington.
He takes over during close security work with the United States. The Ecuador military still has to operate inside the constitutional ban.
The case shows how legal limits can divide a government and its officers. That argument looks set to continue.
More: Ecuador news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did President Noboa remove from Ecuador’s air force?
He removed Lieutenant General Mauricio Xavier Salazar Machuca, commander general of the Ecuadorian Air Force, through Executive Decree 496.
Why was the Ecuadorian air force commander removed?
The decree gave no reason and only thanked him for his services. Some outlets link it to his letter, but that is an interpretation.
What did the officer ask for about United States operations?
He asked for written legal rules covering temporary US Air Force flights at Taura air base. He cited Article 5 and Constitutional Court opinions.
Does Ecuador allow foreign military bases?
No. The 2008 Constitution bans them, and voters rejected a November 2025 proposal to lift that ban.
Sources: Sources: Radio Pichincha, El Diario (Ecuador), Telesur, Devdiscourse, BBC, EL PAÍS. https://www.radiopichincha.com/noboa-jefe-fae-directrices-vuelos-tropas-estados-unidos-taura/ https://www.eldiario.ec/ecuador/mauro-bedoya-aviles-asume-la-comandancia-general-de-la-fuerza-aerea-ecuatoriana-10092026 https://www.telesurtv.net/noboa-remueve-fuerza-aerea-vuelos-eeuu/ https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/politics/3975143-us-pledges-enhanced-security-aid-for-ecuador https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgjzz4gn64zo https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-05-13/us-lawmakers-demand-the-pentagon-suspend-its-anti-drug-operations-in-ecuador.html
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