Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete, who currently serves as the commanding general of the Philippine Army, has been appointed as the 61st Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), taking over from General Romeo Brawner Jr., the Department of National Defense (DND) announced Tuesday.
The formal transition of leadership will take place during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, following the conclusion of Brawner’s full three-year tenure at the helm of the armed forces.
“The Department of National Defense, upon the authority of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., is pleased to announce the appointment of Lieutenant General Antonio G. Nafarrete as the incoming Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, following the retirement of General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. today,” the DND said in a statement.
In a related assignment, the defense establishment announced that Lieutenant General Donald Gumiran, the head of the Western Mindanao Command, will step in to succeed Nafarrete as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army.
Brawner assumed the top military post in July 2023, marking a historical milestone as the first AFP chief to serve the full three-year fixed term provided under Republic Act No. 11939.
Under Brawner’s stewardship, the military focused heavily on bolstering national external defense capabilities, accelerating modernization programs, and deepening defense partnerships with international allies amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.