On 5 July 1984, Padrino graduated from
Military Academy of Venezuela. He commanded
mortar personnel of the Antonio Ricaurte Infantry Battalion in Rubio, Táchira State. Between February and May 1995, Padrino attended courses on "Psychological Operations" and "Advanced Officer training" at
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. During the
2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, he was a colonel of the
Simón Bolívar Infantry Battalion in Fuerte Tiuna, This action performed by President Maduro made General Padrino one of the most powerful people in Venezuela, possibly "the second most powerful man in Venezuelan politics".
Bloomberg's editorial board compared Padrino's appointment to the Cuban government's tactic of granting the Cuban military the power to manage Cuba's economy. However the
Juan Guaidó-led opposition continued to seek Padrino's cooperation to remove Maduro.
John Bolton said Padrino was willing to defect, but Padrino professed loyalty on live TV later that day, and Padrino prepared the military to suppress opposition by force. Following the
failed uprising, Padrino stated "All of us have to hold on tight, until the storm passes and at last we can see the faces of those of us who remain," which Ivan Briscoe of
Foreign Affairs described as "not the most loyal public statement. Maduro may not have been fully satisfied with Padrino's handling of the opposition."
Capture of Nicolás Maduro Padrino strongly condemned the
2026 United States intervention in Venezuela, which involved the capture of Maduro. Padrino supported the
Supreme Tribunal of Justice appointment of
Delcy Rodríguez as acting president in Maduro's absence. On 18 March 2026, Rodríguez dismissed Padrino as Minister of Defense. He was replaced by General
Gustavo González López. ==Personal life==