Ecuador Removes Its Air Force Chief After a Memo on US Flights
ECUADOR · DEFENCE
Key Facts
- —The rule Ecuador’s constitution bans foreign military bases. Voters were asked to lift the ban last November and refused.
- —The reality American forces have been operating from an Ecuadorian base since December, under bilateral agreements rather than a base treaty.
- —What the general did On 8 September the air force chief asked his superiors, in writing, what legal basis would cover American flights at a second base.
- —What happened next On 10 September the president removed him by decree.
- —The reason given None. The decree thanks him for his service.
- —What the government has said about the link Nothing.
An Ecuadorian general put a constitutional question in writing on a Monday. By Wednesday he was no longer commanding the air force.
Ecuador replaced the commander of its air force by presidential decree last week. Two days earlier he had asked, in writing, how American aircraft could lawfully use a second base.
The Question He Asked
Lieutenant General Mauricio Salazar Machuca ran the Ecuadorian air force. On 8 September he sent an official communication to the head of the joint command.
He wanted directives for bilateral cooperation activities at Taura air base, in Guayas province on the coast.
Specifically he asked what authorisations or legal mechanisms would allow temporary United States Air Force flights and the use of infrastructure there.
His framing was constitutional. He wanted to know how this could be done without creating a foreign military base, and he cited Article 5 by name.
It was an internal memo. It reached social media around 12 and 13 September, after he had already gone.
The Decree
Executive Decree 496 was signed on 10 September, two days after the memo left his desk.
It removed Salazar and, in the same document, appointed Brigadier General Mauro Enrique Bedoya Avilés in his place.
There is no disciplinary finding in it and no explanation. It thanks him for his service.
The presidency has said nothing connecting the two events. Neither has the defence ministry. What exists is a two-day gap and a leaked document.
What Article 5 Says, and What Ecuadorians Did About It
The 2008 constitution declares Ecuador a territory of peace and forbids foreign military bases or foreign installations for military purposes.
That clause has a history. The United States ran an operation from the coastal base at Manta until 2009, when the lease ended and was not renewed.
President Daniel Noboa asked voters to lift the ban in a referendum on 16 November 2025. They refused, with roughly 60.55% voting no.
It was one of the sharpest defeats of his presidency, and it happened ten months ago.
How Americans Operate There Anyway
There is no American base in Ecuador, and there is a substantial American presence.
It rests on bilateral agreements rather than a base treaty. A status of forces agreement was signed in October 2023 and ratified in February 2024.
Two further accords cover maritime interdiction and the interception of aircraft, both negotiated earlier and ratified in January 2024.
In August 2026 the interior ministry added a migratory arrangement. American defence personnel, civilians and contractors can enter for up to 180 days a year, with multiple entries and diplomatic-level immunities.
The first deployment was announced in December 2025 at Manta, the base the Americans had left sixteen years before. Defence officials called it temporary and not a permanent base.
Manta Is Not Taura
Coverage of this story has repeatedly put the general’s memo at Manta. It concerns Taura, and that is what makes it news.
Manta is the arrangement already announced and already running. Taura is a second base, in a different province, and nothing about it had been made public.
The memo is the first indication that the footprint was being extended.
Whether the Taura proposal is going ahead, and on what legal basis, has not been stated by anyone in the government.
Why the Question Was Not Unreasonable
Ecuador has been fighting an extraordinary surge of organised crime violence, and the government has asked for foreign help openly.
It is also bound by a constitutional clause that its own voters declined to change less than a year ago.
A serving commander asking for the legal basis in writing, through the chain of command, is what officers are trained to do.
Salazar has not spoken publicly since. The government has not said whether the leak itself is being investigated.
More: Ecuador news and analysis, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was removed?
Lieutenant General Mauricio Salazar Machuca, commander of the Ecuadorian air force, by decree on 10 September 2026.
Why?
No reason was given. The decree thanks him for his service.
What did his memo ask?
What legal basis would allow temporary United States flights and infrastructure use at Taura air base.
Is there a US base in Ecuador?
No. Voters rejected lifting the constitutional ban in November 2025, by about 60.55%.
How do American forces operate there?
Under a status of forces agreement, interdiction accords, and a 2026 arrangement allowing 180-day stays.
Where are they based?
Manta, on the coast, since December 2025. The leaked memo concerns a different base, Taura.
Sources: Registro Oficial, Presidencia del Ecuador, El Universo, Primicias, La Jornada, Radio Pichincha.
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