Alberto José Mejía Ferrero

General Alberto José Mejía Ferrero (Ret.) is the former Commander of the Colombian National Army and the Colombian Military Forces. With a military career spanning more than four decades, he led Colombia’s armed forces between 2015 and 2018 during a pivotal period marked by peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC, supporting the process that resulted in the group’s disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration, while upholding democratic civil–military relations.

During his tenure, General Mejía spearheaded a comprehensive institutional transformation to modernise Colombia’s military forces, strengthening operational effectiveness, professional standards, transparency, international cooperation, and compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law, including the implementation of the Plan Damasco doctrine, and the creation of key transparency and international cooperation bodies. He played a vital role in Colombia’s inclusion as a NATO Global Security Partner.

Following his retirement, he served as Colombia’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand (2019–2021), promoting bilateral relations and regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. He also worked as a consultant to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on military transformation and security sector reform and held academic and research positions in Australia and the United States. Currently, he is the honorary president of the Australia-Colombia Business Council in Bogotá and a visiting professor at the University of Los Andes’ School of Government and at the Nueva Granada Military University in leadership and national security.

General Mejía holds advanced degrees in Military Sciences, International Security, Strategic Studies, and National Security, and has received numerous national decorations, including Colombia’s highest honour Cruz de Boyacá, and the Colombian National Congress’s Order of Democracy. He has also been awarded the US Legion of Merit and has received the US Command and General Staff College and the US Army War College Hall of Fame distinctions.