A cross-party group of senators has introduced a legal reform aimed at modifying the structure and hierarchy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (EMCO), preempting a similar proposal currently being prepared by the Executive branch. The initiative seeks to elevate the body's status by granting it explicit constitutional recognition to strengthen the strategic leadership of the Armed Forces.
The bill was introduced by senators Paulina Núñez (RN), Iván Flores (DC), Alejandro Kusanovic (Ind.), Manuel José Ossandón (RN), and Gastón Saavedra (PS). The text proposes that the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff be appointed by the President of the Republic exclusively from among the top five most senior officers of each military branch, establishing a fixed four-year term with the rank of Army General, Admiral, or Air Force General.
Toward a Unified Strategic Command
The proposal seeks to end the practice of independent operations among military branches by grouping their capabilities under a common command during peacetime and, especially, during states of constitutional emergency. According to the articles, National Defense chiefs appointed in emergency zones would fall under the strategic direction of the EMCO for the purposes of military command and operations.
The authors of the bill argue that this change is a response to the demands of the contemporary strategic environment. "Constitutional recognition is necessary to provide this function with the institutional stability and hierarchical clarity required for the strategic management of national defense," the document submitted to the Senate states.
The text emphasizes that the reform is not intended to indefinitely expand the powers of military institutions or alter the balance between national defense and internal public security. The central goal, according to the lawmakers, is to provide the constitutional system with greater institutional coherence.
The proposal also grants the EMCO the authority to conduct state strategic surveillance, shifting from a reactive posture toward potential threats to a capacity for constant monitoring. A constitutional organic law will subsequently be tasked with regulating the precise mechanisms for institutional coordination and the scope of joint command regarding the protection of the State's strategic interests.
