Raul Botelho

Raul Botelho (born 22 July 1957) is a Brazilian Lieutenant-Brigadier of the Brazilian Air Force, who has served as Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of the Brazilian Armed Forces since 2019.^[1]

Lieutenant-Brigadier Raul Botelho
Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces
In office 15 January 2019 – 31 May 2021
President	Jair Bolsonaro
Minister	Fernando Azevedo e Silva
Preceded by	Ademir Sobrinho
Succeeded by	Laerte de Souza Santos
Personal details
Born	(1957-07-22) 22 July 1957 (age 68) São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Alma mater	Brazilian Air Force Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Brazil
Branch/service	Brazilian Air Force
Years of service	1973–2019
Rank	Lieutenant-Brigadier

Military career

Joined the Air Force in 1973, being declared Aspirant in 1979. He was promoted to Brigadier in March 2007 and to Lieutenant-Brigadier in March 2015.^[2]

An aerial reconnaissance and search and rescue pilot, Botelho holds a Bachelor of Business Administration for the Mackenzie Presbyterian University and executive MBA in Administrative Management. He has 3,600 flight hours and flown various planes in the air force, such as the Aerotec Uirapuru, the Neiva Universal, the Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and the Embraer EMB 312 Tucano.

He commanded various units of the Air Force, such as the 1st squadron of the 6th Aviation Group, the 1st Air Force, the Third Regional Air Command, the COMGEP, and the Aeronautical Officers Promotion Commission, before becoming the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He also became a military observer serving in Mozambique.

On January 15, 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro named him as the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of the Brazilian Armed Forces, replacing Admiral Ademir Sobrinho.^[3]

He left the command of the Joint Staff on 31 May 2021.^[4]