GENERAL COMMANDER OF THE COLOMBIAN MILITARY FORCES

ADMIRAL FRANCISCO HERNANDO CUBIDES GRANADOS   

Admiral Cubides was born in Bogotá, D.C. on June 8, 1966, and entered the Almirante Padilla Naval Cadet School at the age of 18. In June 1989 he graduated as Lieutenant of Corvette in the specialty of Executive Engineer and since then, after 35 years of service, he has fully fulfilled the mission of ensuring the defense and maritime security of the nation. In November, 1992, he obtained the specialty of scuba diver. He was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 18 December 2022.

Admiral Cubides has extensive experience of the military operation, especially his time in the Pacific Naval Force, a strategic unit of the Colombian Navy, where he led operations against the factors of instability that hit that important region of the country. 

In his experience, he has hold the following positions: Head of the Naval Training, Institution and Education Headquarters; Director of the Admiral Padilla Naval Cadet School; Commander of the Naval Fleet; Chief of Staff of the Caribbean Naval Force; Head of the Inspection Group of the Submarine Project 206 A in Germany; Commander of the Caribbean Submarine Flotilla; Supervisor of Special Projects of the Naval Planning Headquarters; Commander, Second Commander, Head of the Engineering Department and Head of the Operations Department of the ARC Tayrona Submarine; Commander of the dike ARC Mayor Jaime Arias; Assistant to the Vice President of the Republic; Commander of the Submarine ARC Intrepido and Chief of the Palo Bauprés Division of the ARC Gloria.

On August 12, 2022, Admiral Cubides was appointed as Commander of the Colombian Navy, a position he held for approximately two years, standing out for his spirit of leadership in fulfilling the constitutional mission of defending the sovereignty and the territory, in command of the different units of the Naval Institution in the country. In the same way, his commitment to comprehensive maritime security is highlighted by, among other extraordinary results, the finding of more than 793 tons of cocaine hydrochloride, 219 tons of marijuana and more than three thousand arrests during his period, damaging the logistics chain of multicrime organizations.

Admiral Cubides is a professional in Naval Engineering and Naval Sciences of the Almirante Padilla Naval Cadet School; with a Master's Degree in National Security and Defense of the Superior School of War, as well as in International Relations and Conflict Resolution of the American Military University. He is a Specialist in Human Resources Management and Senior Management of the Nueva Granada Military University and he also has a diploma in Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law of the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga. In the same way, the Officer has Senior Management studies with the Javeriana University.

In addition, the Almiral Cubides has several military courses, including the International Course in Submarine Tactics of the United States Navy and the advanced Course in Security and Cooperation of the Center for Security Studies of Asia Pacific stand out.

In his military experience, the new General Commander of the Colombian Military Forces has received a large number of national and international medals and decorations, thanks to his selfless service to the Colombian Navy and the country.