Julio Leiva

Former Commander-in-Chief, Chilean Navy

Julio Leiva Molina (Santiago, 1960) is a retired admiral of the Chilean Navy. He entered the Escuela Naval Arturo Prat, graduating as a midshipman, and built a career of more than 40 years within the institution, serving aboard vessels such as the destroyers "Portales" and "Williams" and the training ship "Esmeralda," in addition to commanding the missile boat "Teniente Uribe" and the frigate "Almirante Cochrane." He held command posts including Commander-in-Chief of the Navy's First Naval Zone and Chief of Staff of the Operations Command, and served as logistics officer with the Chilean force deployed to the peacekeeping mission in Haiti. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy by President Michelle Bachelet, a post he held from June 2017 to June 2021, a period spanning the Bachelet and Sebastián Piñera administrations. He holds a Master's degree in Naval and Maritime Sciences and has received numerous decorations, including the Grand Cross of Naval Merit.