Military In 1960, Molina Pico took part in a training voyage as a staff officer aboard the
Brazilian Navy's training ship. He later served as
second-in-command of the minesweeper and the oceanographic vessel
ARA Puerto Deseado. He subsequently commanded the ship
ARA Comodoro Rivadavia and a
minelayer unit. During the
Falklands War in 1982, he commanded the destroyer
ARA Hércules. After the conflict he headed the Corvette Division of the Sea Fleet and later held staff positions in Policy and Strategy and Naval Resources. In 1990, during the presidency of
Carlos Menem, he was appointed
naval attaché to the Argentine Embassy in the United States and Canada, based in
Washington, D.C., While in Washington, he concurrently served under
United Nations command as Chief of Naval Forces in the
Gulf of Fonseca in Central America and helped establish the first United Nations naval force in the Caribbean with Argentine vessels. He was involved in
Argentina's participation in the Gulf War, contributing to the planning and logistical coordination of
Operation Desert Storm. The deployment was based in
Sharjah and
Dubai and involved the destroyer
ARA Almirante Brown, the corvette
ARA Spiro, later replaced by the corvette
ARA Rosales and a naval transport. Molina Pico commanded the Sea Fleet from 1991 to 1992 and became Commander of Naval Operations in December 1992, overseeing
maritime patrols and the fight against
illegal fishing. On 13 July 1993, President Menem appointed him Chief of the Navy General Staff, replacing Admiral Jorge Eduardo Ferrer. Despite economic restrictions, he expanded operational capacity, and during his tenure from 1993 to 1996, Argentina participated in
UN peacekeeping missions in
Haiti and
Cyprus. His term coincided with
Oscar Camilión's tenure as
Minister of Defense, a period that saw the abolition of
compulsory military service after the death of conscript Omar Carrasco in an Army barracks in
Neuquén. In December 1995, he approved the retirement of officer
Alfredo Astiz, who was later convicted of
crimes against humanity committed during the last military dictatorship. He resigned in 1996 and was succeeded by Carlos Marrón. Molina Pico received national and foreign honors, including a decoration from the
Argentine Congress for his role in the Falklands War and the
Legion of Merit (Officer) from the United States for his service during the Gulf War.
Academia Molina Pico was rector of the
Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires from 1999 to 2012, helping to establish the university as one of Argentina's leading engineering institutions. In 2013, he became a full member of the National Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, occupying the José de San Martín chair. He was also associated with the Academy of the Sea, the Argentine Council on International Relations, and the National Nautical School Foundation. His academic work addressed strategy, international terrorism, Middle Eastern conflicts, peacekeeping operations, and emerging security challenges.'''''' == Personal life and death ==