José Rafael Ojeda Durán (born 3 February 1954) is the former Mexican
Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
in the
Cabinet of Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
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* Filin ...
. He has worked in the
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...
in various positions for nearly 50 years.
He is a member of the
Mexican Legion of Honor.
Biography
José Rafael Ojeda Durán was born on 3 February 1954.
Joining the
Heroica Escuela Naval Militar (where he later served as a professor) in 1969, he later graduated as a
Guardiamarina (Midshipman) in 1974.
In the time after his graduation, he served in the Navy for 50 years on a variety of vessels, commands, and assorted offices. Among these: he led the Eighth Naval Region, Fourteenth Naval Region, Sixth Flotilla,
Pacific Naval Force, Chief of Naval Operations, and was a Senior Naval Admiral.
Durán was appointed to Secretariat of the Navy under the
presidential cabinet of
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...
, having prior served as an Inspector and General Comptroller of the Navy.
He was appointed on 30 November 2018.
Controversy
Durán was criticized for not investigating the
Iguala mass kidnapping when it was theorized that the 43 victims were incinerated by sailors operating in the Eighth Naval Region, which he had control over at the time.
Tropical Storm Hernan
In 2020, he announced a so-called 'Naval Plan' to help aid those affected by
Tropical Storm Hernan. This program consisted of rescue operations, cleanup, and evacuations, conducted by 450 units of the Mexican Navy.
References
1954 births
Living people
Morena (political party) politicians
Secretaries of the Navy (Mexico)
Cabinet of Andrés Manuel López Obrador
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