President Luis Abinader has appointed Juan Bienvenido Crisóstomo Martínez as the new commander of the Dominican Navy.
The appointment, announced in Decree 516-25, elevates Crisóstomo Martínez to the rank of vice admiral. He replaces Vice Admiral Agustín Morillo Rodríguez, who had held the position since August 2023.
Born on 27 December 1968, Juan Bienvenido Crisóstomo Martínez is a seasoned naval officer, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 1990.
Since then, Crisóstomo Martínez has held numerous leadership positions, including head of studies at the Naval Academy, executive officer of the 27th of February Naval Base, and subdirector of the Personnel and Order Division, Naval Intelligence Division, and Naval Operations Division.
His career also includes serving as the director of the Naval Command of Education and Training, director of Public Relations, director general of Organization and Doctrine of the Navy, and director of the Joint Operations Center of the Armed Forces. He also was appointed director of the Naval Academy.
Most recently, he served as the inspector general and deputy commander general of the Navy before assuming his current role as Commander General.
The same decree also named Rear Admiral Anthony Manuel Tadeo Jiminián Objío as the new deputy commander of the Navy and Rear Admiral Juan Gilberto Núñez Abreu as the inspector general.
Morillo Rodríguez, the outgoing commander, was not retired from active duty. He has been appointed as the Vice Minister for Naval and Coastal Affairs, a position previously held by Vice Admiral Ramón Gustavo Betances Hernández. Betances Hernández was placed in a “honorable retirement” and will now serve as a special advisor to President Abinader.
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Presidency
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
8 September 2025