Maj. Gen. Francisco Jesús Leana Ojeda became commander of the Mexican Army in July 2025.
Maj. Gen. Francisco Jesús Leana Ojeda became commander of the Mexican Army in July 2025 during a ceremony in Mexico City. The chief of the joint chiefs of staff for national defense, Maj. Gen. Arturo Coronel Flores, hung the ceremonial sash over Ojeda’s head, marking the latest appointment of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to the top ranks of the country’s military leadership. Leana Ojeda has extensive experience in most of Mexico’s military regions and has served in a military-diplomatic role in Canada. Most recently, he served as commander of the First Military Region.
Leana Ojeda has served as director of the Army and Air Force language center, as well as director and deputy director of the General Directorate of Artillery in Naucalpan de Juárez, state of Mexico, according to a July 1 news release from the Mexican government.
He has served as commander of military regions in Ixcotel, Mazatlán, Mexico City and Sinaloa and has overseen military zones in Michoacán, Morelia, Santa María Rayón, Tuxpan and Veracruz, the release stated. His international experience includes a stint as the deputy military attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Canada. “As of July 1 of this year, General Leana Ojeda will have the responsibility of supervising the administration and development of the Mexican Army; as well as the training of the women and men who make it up, for the benefit of the security and progress of Mexico,” the release stated.
A graduate of the Army’s military college, Leana Ojeda holds master’s degrees in military administration and public administration. He has been trained in political analysis, defense strategy and prospective planning, and in national and international institutions, according to Milenio, a Mexican news site. Leana Ojeda replaces Maj. Commander Norberto Cortès Rodríguez, who stepped down after reaching the mandatory retirement age, the site reported.
Sheinbaum, who took office in October 2024, recently appointed new chiefs of the Air Force and Navy. She has pursued a more aggressive policy toward transnational criminal organizations (TCO) than her predecessor, Andrès Manuel Lopèz Obrador. Leana Ojeda has been at the forefront of the government’s recent raids and seizures of fentanyl produced by the Sinaloa cartel.
The fight to neutralize TCOs has been a priority on both sides of the border. Senior military leaders of Mexico and the United States met in May and June 2025 to coordinate strategy and deepen ties. In May, the commander of the Mexican Army met with the U.S. Army South’s commander in Tucson, Arizona, along with senior military officials from both countries. The next month, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, secretary of National Defense of Mexico, and Adm. Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, secretary of the Navy of Mexico, both newly appointed by Sheinbaum, visited Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the first time in their current posts. While there, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command Commander Gen. Gregory M. Guillot said the visit “reflects the enduring trust and open communication between our nations’ militaries. … Mexico is an essential partner in the defense of North America, and engagements like this ensure our efforts are aligned and effective.”