Renato Rodrigues de Aguiar Freire | |
---|---|
Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces | |
Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
President | Lula da Silva |
Minister | José Múcio |
Preceded by | Laerte de Souza Santos |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil | 3 September 1960
Military service | |
Branch/service | Brazilian Navy |
Years of service | 1981–present |
Rank | Admiral |
Renato Rodrigues de Aguiar Freire (born September 3, 1960) is a Brazilian military officer. He has served under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as Chief of the Joint General Staff of the Armed Forces since January 9, 2023.[2] Prior to this, he served as Chief of Naval Staff.[3]
Freire was born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte on September 3, 1960.[4] He began his military service as a midshipman in the Brazilian Navy in 1981.[5] He has a degree from the Naval War College in the United States as well as a master's degree in defense studies from King's College London.
Following Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, he was among the military leaders who convened with the then-President-elect in December 2022.[6] He was nominated by Lula as Chief of the Joint General Staff of the Armed Forces and took office on January 9, 2023.