Francisco Javier Varela Salas

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Varela and the second or maternal family name is Salas.
Francisco Javier Varela Salas
JEME Varela Salas 2019 image cropped
Chief of Staff of the Army
In office
1 April 2017 – 6 October 2021
Preceded byA. General Jaime Domínguez Buj
Succeeded byA. General Amador Fernando Enseñat y Berea
Personal details
Born1952 (1952) (age 72)
Puertollano, Ciudad Real
Military service
Allegiance Spain
Branch/service Spanish Army
Years of service1978–2021
Rank General of army
CommandsSpanish Army

Francisco Javier Varela Salas (born 1952 in Puertollano, Spain[1]) is a retired Spanish Army general. He was the Chief of Staff of the Army from 2017 to 2021.

He was enrolled in the Army in 1978 after he graduated from General Military Academy, Zaragoza and was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant. He was moved to Special Operations Company No. 41, Barcelona. He was promoted to captain and served in the Military School of Mountain and Special Operations then as a teacher.

He attended the Army Staff College in 1990, and he was made lieutenant colonel to serve in Rapid Action Force from which he later commands the Legion's XIX Special Operations Flag until 2003. He also participated in the UNPROFOR in 1992 and was made a member of KFOR Kosovo in 2001. When he was made colonel, he served in the Operations Command and Light Forces HQ in 2005. He was chief general of the Legion's Brigade "Rey Alfonso XIII" II in 2009 until 2011 and chief of the Light Forces Command until 2014.[2]

He was made chief general of Land Force after promotion to lieutenant general in 2014, and he became head of the High Availability Land HQ Bétera, Valencia until 2017.[3]

In October 2021, he left the Army Staff after four years as the highest military officer in the Spanish Army.[4] Varela Salas retired from active service that month.[5] For his services, the Council of Ministers granted him the Grand Cross of Naval Merit.[6]

  1. ^ "Francisco Javier Varela Salas: "Nos hemos adaptado para hacer todo lo posible en beneficio de los ciudadanos"". abc (in Spanish). 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  2. ^ "El Consejo de Ministros aprueba el nombramiento de los nuevos jefes de Estado Mayor de Tierra, Armada y Aire - Ministerio de Defensa de España". www.defensa.gob.es. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  3. ^ "Francisco Javier Varela Salas". transparencia.gob.es. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  4. ^ González, Miguel (2021-10-05). "Robles nombra a su jefe de Gabinete nuevo jefe del Ejército de Tierra". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  5. ^ Digital, Confidencial (2022-01-17). "El veto al ascenso a general de División que ha logrado sortear el anterior jefe de la Legión". Confidencial Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  6. ^ "Royal Decree 873/2021, of October 5, by which the Grand Cross of Naval Merit with a white badge is awarded to the Army General, Chief of Staff of the Army, Mr. Francisco Javier Varela Salas". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-10.