• I am the first to condemn the expressions that have singled out and condemned members of our Armed Forces, he said.
  • The president thanked all the members of the Armed Forces, “For being loyal to Mexico, and serving Mexico with a sense of loyalty, commitment and patriotism; for their great sense of institutionality, with respect for the law and full respect for human rights.
  • Meeting with the military and marines and their families.

At today’s meeting with the military and marines and their families, President Enrique Peña Nieto said that, "Expressions that some people, whether out of ignorance or spite, use to discredit the work of members of our Armed Forces are unacceptable”.

”Those who disparage the work of our Armed Forces disparage Mexico, those who hurt our Armed Forces hurt Mexico, those who discredit the work of our Armed Forces discredit Mexico,” he said.

He declared:  “I am the first to condemn those expressions that have singled out and sentenced members of our Armed Forces, who have lambasted our Armed Forces, who have said that the work of our Armed Forces is dedicated to offend, hurt and violate human rights; and even massacre, as some have dared to say”.

He stressed that, “With pride and a sense of loyalty, our armed forces  wear the uniform of the country, are the living representation of the country and their job is to protect Mexico every day”.

 “Here are the families of the military, pilots and marines, who should feel proud of the work they do their families, because what they do with the uniform of the country, with the uniform they wear every day, is care for Mexico and protect Mexico,” he said.

He thanked all the members of the Armed Forces, “For being loyal to Mexico, and serving Mexico with a sense of loyalty, commitment and patriotism; for their great sense of institutionality, with respect for the law and full respect for human rights, which others, especially criminals, fail to observe”.

The families of our soldiers, pilots and marines are their main moral support

At the event, held at Military Camp No. 1, the president mentioned that in his working tours of the states, “The first thing I say to the soldiers, pilots and marines I meet, is to tell them of the government’s thanks for the tireless work of the members of our Armed Forces”.

They work, "Tirelessly to look after Mexico, defend Mexico and ensure the safety of Mexican families. Beyond the task of safeguarding the integrity of our territory and our national sovereignty, they have been committed to tasks that have to do with the safety of Mexican families”.

“I would like to thank all the members of our Armed Forces for the work they do for Mexico,” he declared.

He said that the second thing he does during these meetings is, “To ask them to convey his greetings to their comrades, who are part of our Armed Forces”.

Mexico has professional Armed Forces, who are always committed, with loyalty and patriotism, to the cause of Mexico. This is what Mexico’s armed forces are like, and Mexico is proud of its Armed Forces,” he added. 

He added that a third message he conveys to the military and marines on their working tours of the states is to send his greetings to their families. “I do so for a reason: because I know that the families of our soldiers, pilots and marines are their main moral support. The strength of each of the members of our Armed Forces lies with their families,” he said.

”They know very well that being the family of a soldier, pilot or marine, demands sacrifice, doing without spaces of proximity and coexistence as happens with the vast majority of families. Sometimes they do not see them for a long time and, above all, they know that their families, women or men who are part of our Armed Forces, risk their lives in the task to which they are committed,” he said.

This government has committed resources to ensure that OUR ARMED FORCES continue to be CONSOLIDATed as highly professional institutions

The president said that, “This government has made efforts to support our armed forces, if not in an unprecedented than certainly in a committed way”.

“This is a government that has devoted sustained resources to enabling our armed forces to continue to be consolidated as professional institutions with a great capacity to fulfil its missions and task,” he said.

 “Until the end of my administration, I will be more than grateful for the work provided by our Armed Forces, and will therefore continue to devote efforts, resources and support to continue to strengthen them for the benefit of Mexico and the military family”.

He said:  “I was not trained in military discipline, I was not trained as a soldier, but on assuming this responsibility, given the constitutional order, of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, I regard myself as one of you”.

A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED IN THESE FOUR YEARS

President Peña Nieto said that much has been achieved do these four years, which, “Will certainly impact and transform and is already transforming the face of our country”. 

He mentioned, among other things, that never before had such a sweeping education reform been promoted, in order to establish a new education model based on three pillars: having better trained, teachers subjected to constant evaluation; having adequate infrastructure, quality infrastructure; and an educational content that meets the demands of this century.

He said that the new education model, “Is focusing its design precisely on enabling the new generations to learn to learn. That reflects the depth of education reform and is one of the cornerstones we have proposed”.

The president recalled that during this administration, “We have provided more grants for the children of the military: 120,000 scholarships have been granted to the children of military personnel”.

He stressed that the second axis of this administration, “Has been to promote a prosperous Mexico, which means having a Mexico that is growing”.

 “We are a country that in a complex and difficult global environment, has been growing, as borne out by the figures. Today we have employment. When there is a crisis, there is unemployment not unemployment. Today we have employment and the highest employment figures ever recorded: 2.6 million jobs have been created in just over four years,” he said.

He announced that today, “The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reports that we have the lowest unemployment rate observed in at least the past ten years: 3.4 percent, one of the lowest unemployment rates we've seen”.

The president said that in this administration, emphasis has also been placed on combating inequality, "and the only way to combat it is by creating wealth and distributing it more equitably”.

He said that social policy has implemented various actions. "In the Senior Citizens’ Program, there is now a pension for those aged 65 years and over. This allows us to reach more than five million people who are now eligible, twice the number benefited in 2012, when only those aged 70 and over were eligible”.

 “Today we have ensured that women with children have life insurance for female heads of household, to have the certainty that in the event of their deaths, their children will have the resources and an insurance scheme in order to be able to pursue their studies,” he said .

Earlier, President Peña Nieto inaugurated branch number 19 of Banjército, which will increase the ability to care for members of the armed forces in the region; together with the Multimedia Auditorium of the First Military Region. This concludes the creation of the Virtual Training System and the new facilities of the Military Assessment Center, for the evaluation of applications for promotion, scholarships, courses or commissions and admission to military educational services, among other things.