Manolo Eduardo Villagra

Research Analyst – Peruvian Army

Manolo Eduardo Villagra

Research Analyst - Peruvian Army

He is a Lieutenant Colonel of the Peruvian Army (EP) and has a solid academic background. He holds a PhD in Development and Strategic Security from the Center for Advanced National Studies (CAEN), a Master’s degree in Military Sciences with a mention in Strategic Planning and Decision Making, as well as a Master’s degree in Management and Technological Innovation, as well as a Master’s degree in Education Sciences. In addition, he has a degree in Military Sciences and a degree in Administration, and has obtained diplomas in National Security and Defense, Leadership and Strategic Planning, and Military History and Strategic Thinking.
He has completed the XVIII Joint Command and Staff Program at the Joint Higher School of the Armed Forces (ESCOFFAA). As a researcher and collaborator, he participates in the magazine “El Investigador” of the Chorrillos Military School (EMCH), as well as in the academic and scientific journals of the Army Higher War School (ESGE-EPG) and in the institutional publications of the EP, such as “Actualidad Militar” and “Expresión Militar”, in addition to “Pensamiento Conjunto” of the ESCOFFAA, Science and Research in Defense, Notebooks of Work and the Security and Development magazine of the CAEN. He also works as a researcher at the “Gral. Div. José del Carmen Marín Arista” Research Institute of the CAEN.
He is a teacher, lecturer and advisor on issues of Foresight, Strategy, Threats to National Security, as well as Strategic Planning for Development. Analyst and principal researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies of the Peruvian Army (CEEEP). He actively participated in operations against illegal mining in the La Pampa – Madre de Dios sector during 2019 and served as a Land Operations Officer in the C-3 (Military Operations and Actions) of the Joint Staff of the VRAEM Special Command during 2023. Currently, he serves in the Huancané garrison, Puno region, within the 4th Mountain Brigade, III Army Division.

Areas of interest

  • Strategic Foresight
  • Strategic Planning
  • Multisectorial Strategy
  • Strategic Intelligence
  • Geopolitics
  • Geostrategy
  • International Relations
  • National Reality (Critical Vision)
  • Sociology
  • Anthropology
  • Philosophy

Latest analysis

Análisis
May 8, 2025
This article comprehensively analyzes the threats to national security in La Rinconada, Puno, focusing on organized crime, informal and illegal mining, environmental contamination and the public health crisis. In this region, various criminal organizations operate, dedicated to gold trafficking, smuggling and transnational crime, consolidating criminal structures with access to weapons and illicit financing. Their territorial control, based on violence and corruption, not only weakens state authority, but also exploits mine workers and monopolizes the illegal […]
Análisis
February 27, 2025
By: Miguel A. Gonzales, Oscar L. Calle, Rolando E. Campos and Manolo Eduardo (27/02/25). This article analyzes the impact of ideological radicalization and its convergence with Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) on national security in Peru. Through a descriptive and analytical methodology, it examines the areas most affected by these phenomena, assessing how radical groups and organized crime affect governance and compromise state control over key territories. […]
Análisis
December 19, 2024
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (19/12/2024). This article analyzes the Voluntary Military Service (SMV) in Peru and its potential as a strategy to strengthen national security. Reforms are proposed that promote its revaluation and strengthening. This study reviews historical, political and sociological aspects through a qualitative methodology and a critical evaluation of the academic literature, examining the factors that have shaped the development of this service. […]
Análisis
March 7, 2024
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (07/03/2024). The objective of this article is to conduct an analysis that addresses the impending water crisis and its global scope, which presents a focus on its implications for national security and the participation of the Armed Forces; in consideration of water scarcity, pollution and geopolitical tensions associated with access to this vital resource, for which a methodology of review of literature is used, accompanied by a deep reflection on the […]
Análisis
November 23, 2023
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (23/11/2023).The Peruvian Amazon faces imminent threats that require urgent and coordinated action by the State. In this context, the article aims to highlight the importance of activating the Amazon Protection Brigades, a crucial measure aimed at preserving biodiversity, strategic resources and, therefore, national sovereignty. The article examines geostrategic relevance of the Amazon, emphasizing the primary role of the Armed Forces, especially the Peruvian Army (EP), in addressing this mission. […]
Análisis
July 25, 2023
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (25/07/2023). In Peru, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Armed Forces deployed to support prevention, containment and control measures in order to mitigate the virus. Their professionalism and experience enabled them to efficiently carry out the assigned activities. In other words, the military, being prepared to face difficult situations in their combat operations, have the skills to manage health crises. In this context, new challenges arose that demonstrated professional […]
Análisis
May 10, 2023
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (10/05/2023). China is constantly progressing to become a global leader. It is a gradual competition dating back to the 1960s, which had a favorable effect with “The New Silk Road”. This is part of a project that extends its reach to continents such as Africa, Europe, Asia and America through land and maritime trade routes that include international corridors. In Peru, the Chinese company Cosco Shipping Ports is in charge of […]
Análisis
December 1, 2022
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (1/12/2022).
During the last decade, coca leaf cultivation has increased significantly in Colombia, with the residual organized armed groups (grupos armados organizados residuales, GAOR) being the main actors involved in the illicit drug trade in the border area between Peru and Colombia. Since 2016, the GAOR have been considered criminal organizations that not only base their economy on illicit activities, but also violate the human rights of the communities living […]
Análisis
May 18, 2021
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (18/05/2021).
In Peru, the increase in agricultural activities and illegal mining has increased deforestation in the Amazon region; Among the areas with the greatest impact, “La Pampa” stands out, located in the Madre de Dios Region. This serious situation made the Peruvian State start, in 2019, the implementation of the “Comprehensive Plan Against Illegal Mining in Madre de Dios (La Pampa)”, with the aim of stopping the illegal activities that […]
Análisis
February 11, 2021
By: Manolo Eduardo Villagra (11/02/2021).
In this article, the author analyzes the hegemonic struggle as a cyclical social phenomenon in which the countries with greater power use different instruments and strategies to gain dominance. Currently, these struggles are developed within the framework of a new paradigm such as virtual society in the context of COVID-19, against which competing countries have had to adapt, generating a process of global restructuring. […]