José Luis Silva Silva | |
|---|---|
| Defense Attaché of theVenezuelan Embassy in theUnited States | |
| Assumed office 15 September 2012 | |
| President | Hugo Chávez Nicolás Maduro Juan Guaidó(disputed) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Luis Silva Silva (1968-01-28)28 January 1968 (age 57) |
| Spouse | Orli Puerta |
| Children | 3 (Cristina, Felipe and Isabella) |
| Alma mater | National Experimental Polytechnic University of the Armed Forces St. Petersburg College,University of South Florida |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Venezuela |
| Branch/service | Venezuelan National Guard |
| Years of service | 2012–present |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Awards | Order of Rafael Urdaneta |
José Luis Silva Silva (born 28 January 1968) is a Venezuelan military officer who is anColonel of theVenezuelan National Guard. He currently serves asDefense Attaché of the Embassy at theBolivarian Republic of Venezuela to theUnited States of America inWashington D.C. During theVenezuelan presidential crisis in January 2019, Colonel Silva was the first active command officer who recognizedNational Assembly PresidentJuan Guaidó as interimPresident of Venezuela.
Colonel Silva has been commander of military units according to the degree that corresponded to him. He graduated with the highest academic honor (Summa Cum Laude) from the Military Academy of theVenezuelan National Guard on 5 July 1991 as a Bachelor of Science and Military Arts, being ranked number 5 among 157 officers.[1] As a military, he was among the first until his last grade obtained from Colonel of Active Command. He speaksSpanish andEnglish.
Apart from his military studies, he holds:
On 26 January 2019, Colonel Silva announced through interviews in international news and digital media that he no longer recognizesNicolás Maduro asPresident of Venezuela[2] and recognizedNational Assembly PresidentJuan Guaidó as its legitimate President.[3] Silva also supported the roadmap introduced by Guaidó, which included "ceasing the usurpation of the executive power," the "beginning of a transition to a new government" and "free and transparent presidential elections."[4]
His response led to theNational Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela (FANB) to put out a critical tweet on its official account. The tweet showed a screenshot from the video of Colonel Silva declaring his defection with the word"TRAITOR" emblazoned over it.[4] The statement said"Insubordination in the face of international interests is an act of treason and cowardice with the fatherland inherited from our liberatorSimón Bolívar. As such, we reject the declarations made by Col. Jose Luis Silva Silva, who was acting asmilitary attaché in theUnited States."[5]