President Hipolito Mejia announced yesterday the promotion of 6,333 military, on the heels of the promotion of 1,752 members of the National Police, as announced earlier this week. These advancements are effective 1 March and entail wage increases for the beneficiaries at a time when the government had limited wage increases to 9% given the economic austerity imposed by the IMF stand-by arrangement.
The Executive Branch decision included the promotion of two generals to major generals and 19 colonels to brigadier generals and rear admirals. Those promoted to major generals, the highest rank in the Dominican military, were Luis Rivera Jimenez, current assistant to the Minister of the Armed Forces, and Carlos Manuel Cuerco Desangles, who directs the education and professional training program of the Armed Forces. The military promotions were bestowed on 2,778 members of the Army, 444 in the Navy, 1,931 in the Air Force, 800 at the Armed Forces Ministry and 380 in the military corps of the Presidency of the Republic.