Being a Soldier or National Guard Member Is a Difficult Decision in Challenging Times, Trevilla Says

Mexico’s defense secretary, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, marked the 203rd anniversary of the Army General Staff by praising military service as a difficult but patriotic choice in an era of immense challenges.

The ceremony took place at Military Camp 1-A as the Secretariat of National Defense reorganizes the National Defense Joint General Staff. The restructuring, which began in 2025, includes a liaison office with the U.S. Department of War as part of the ministry’s strategic plans. The event also marked five years of the Joint General Staff, and Trevilla presented awards to personnel who had completed five and three years of service in the body described as the Mexican Army’s brain.

Arturo Coronel Flores, head of the National Defense Joint General Staff, said the latest reform took place in 2023 under Trevilla’s leadership. That reform modernized the institution and created the body now known as the National Defense Joint General Staff.

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Being a soldier or a member of the National Guard, woman or man, is a difficult decision in this era of immeasurable challenges, but it is a patriotic decision.

“Being a soldier or a member of the National Guard, woman or man, is a difficult decision in this era of immeasurable challenges, but it is a patriotic decision,” Trevilla said. He said staff officers had an unavoidable duty to plan in time and use precise information to produce clear, unambiguous and reasoned orders that troops could carry out within assigned time and space. He also stressed the need for material support and coordinated efforts among the armed services.

Coronel Flores said staff members do not make decisions or issue orders on their own. He called on them to work as a team, resolve problems through personal contact and combine office work with field operations.

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A General Staff is the gathering of men and women integrated into an organization whose main task is to assist the commander in conceiving, preparing and conducting the military activities under his responsibility.