ADVENT | DOSSIER
GENERAL CATALINA VENEGAS
"Venegas is a double-edged sword. Be mindful where you put her, because she's going to do things her way – and it may not always be in the interests of our objectives."
- Acting Commander Wayne Kidon on General Venegas
ADVENT INTELLIGENCE
PERSONNEL DOSSIER | CATALINA MARIA VENEGAS
DOCUMENT AUTHORIZATION: ADVENT INTELLIGENCE | OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR | OVERSIGHT DIVISION
AGE: 55
GENDER: Female
ETHNICITY: Latina (Mestizo)
CURRENT POSITION: General of the 1st Mexican Legion
NATIONAL AFFILIATION: Mexico
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Catholic
SPOUSE/PARTNER: Sergio Venegas (Husband | 24 Years)
CHILDREN: 3
- Naomí Venegas (23 Years | ADVENT Military | 2nd Mexican Legion)
- Joshua Venegas (19 Years | College Student)
- Domingo Venegas (19 Years | College Student)
LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE: Spanish (Fluent) | English (Fluent)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Catalina Venegas is a currently serving member of the ADVENT military, following an accomplished career in the Mexican Armed Forces for over three decades, who distinguished herself as being an effective officer while avoiding corruption.
Her reputation allowed her to play a substantial role within the dominant Mexican political dynamics between military, state, and organized crime. She was often credited for direct reductions in criminal violence, reducing military corruption, and acting as a deterrent to the cartels.
These successes resulted in widespread popularity throughout the Mexican public, who saw her as a rare admirable public official. She is known for possessing a stringent code of conduct, conservative operational model, and is known to treat her subordinates and peers respectfully.
It is for these reasons that she was one of the few ranking Mexican military officials who was not removed from service upon integration into ADVENT. She is currently serving as the General of the First Mexican Legion.
PRE-ADULTHOOD PERIOD: Catalina Venegas was born in Mexico City to a family which she has described at several points as "Poor, but not homeless." From a very young age she was doing what she could to help provide for her family, siblings, and relatives as she was able. These were formative years in her life, as her exposure to violent crime, rampant drug use, and widespread corruption instilled in her a resolve to never succumb to these vices.
She performed a variety of jobs during her teenage years, which included manual labor, as well as more complex work, such as a mechanic. She described this period as her being willing to take any job as long as it paid, and worked long hours at many points. Her education was interrupted at multiple points, and she was first taught to read and write by her mother, and took classes when she could, while studying on her own when she couldn't.
She also learned English as a result of her multitude of jobs, which proved to be an important asset as she grew older. Upon reaching adulthood, she intended to pursue a career where she could help address the problems she had seen in her childhood, particularly crime, prostitution, drug use, and general poverty.
She dismissed a political career, considering it a dead end of corruption, and instead enlisted in the Mexican Armed Forces, which she believed were less corrupt, and where she might be able to make a more notable difference.
PRE-ADVENT CAREER: Catalina faced several substantial barriers towards a successful career in the military. The first was her gender, as there were relatively few female soldiers in the Mexican military and sexism remained an issue. The second was her lack of formal education. Both of those did not deter her, and she was able to rise in the lower ranks at a noticeable pace.
She quickly developed a reputation for being immune to corruption. She has not shared details of opportunities that she turned down, but this became what she was known for among the other officers, making it almost certain that attempts were made, and subsequently failed.
Once she became an NCO, she was exposed to the more corruptive elements of the Mexican military, which she continued to refuse to take part in. This earned her several enemies, but also gained the attention of several officers who protected her from retaliation.
Because of her work ethic, aptitude for military operations, and lack of corruption, she was selected as one of the few individuals who was sent to receive officer training in the United States. She performed well, and was awarded a commission upon her return which she accepted. Now a commissioned officer, she began to further distinguish herself.
Catalina was known for cultivating relationships with her subordinates and soldiers, and was attuned to when they were at risk of engaging in illegal or corruptive behavior. Bribes, drug use, and corruption were not just crimes, they affected readiness, and she sought to address them before they arose. Over the course of several years, Catalina successfully built an effective – and loyal - force under her by prioritizing the well-being of personnel.
She was a strong advocate for her soldiers, and took a notably light hand disciplining them. If soldiers were struggling financially, she either helped them with her own salary, or arranged to provide for them or their families. She took several extensive measures to deter soldiers from pursuing more illegal alternatives, which went a long way to spreading her reputation among the soldiers.
Around this same time, she also made several strategic relationships with other ranking figures in the Mexican military, successfully convincing them that the corruption problems could be tackled. It is unclear how supportive they were, but they allowed her to make the attempt.
She has refused to fully reveal the network of individuals which enabled her rise within the ranks, almost certainly to protect their identities. Catalina quickly became the face of the side of the military which was hostile towards the Cartels and working to blunt corruption in the ranks.
Her efforts did not go unnoticed – operations which directly hit cartel operations faced retaliation against herself and sometimes her family. The attempts were unsuccessful, but they did force a recalibration where she began engaging with the elements of organized crime directly, reorienting her efforts with the cartels towards stability, aiming the cartels against each other, and minimizing civilian collateral.
Outside of managing the cartels, she continued her focus on continuing to remove corruption from the Mexican military, which she had been making moderate progress towards – and which came to an abrupt end by the founding of ADVENT, and Mexico's decision to join. A decision that was made on the condition that ADVENT would work to break the stranglehold of corruption within the military and government.
Catalina was one individual identified early as removed from the worst elements of the military or state apparatus, and received the recommendation from the Oversight Division to become Mexico's foremost military official. This offer was presented to Catalina, and she accepted the proposal.
ADVENT CAREER: Following Catalina's promotion to General of the First Mexican Legion, she cooperated extensively in military and Peacekeeper operations against Mexican-based organized crime, specifically the Cartels. While she was not placed in command of operations, she was a principal advisor who played a key role in its successful completion.
She then spent much of the early period of the conflict working to reconstitute the Mexican officer corps, identifying individuals who could rebuild the ranks, assisted in military recruiting, and began orienting her Legions towards defense of Mexican territory.
She focused on developing relationships with her counterparts across Latin America as well as the Caribbean. When hostilities broke out in South America, she shifted her focus towards committing Mexican Legions to support South American operations, which are being spearheaded by the Brazilian Legions.
This currently remains her focus.
PSYCHOLOGICAL OVERVIEW: Catalina is a very reserved individual who holds deep convictions, possesses a strong moral compass, and has an inherent skepticism and suspicion of individuals in power.
Her childhood years where she was surrounded by poverty and its respective knock-on effects have made her resistant to policies which she believes are inherently destructive to individuals and societies. She holds negative views towards drug usage and those who encourage it – though simultaneously is empathetic towards most substance abusers.
She is highly empathetic to individuals she believes are disadvantaged or suffering as a result of circumstances out of their control. Her childhood and proximity to individuals in poverty allows her to simultaneously hold strong views on drug usage, prostitution, and crime while also prioritizing restorative judicial policies, as she believes most crime and social vices are the result of poverty.
She is far less sympathetic towards individuals she perceives as being responsible for worsening society and communities. While she will be diplomatic towards individuals she perceives as being harmful if in positions of equivalent rank or authority, she will only do so out of necessity, and refuse to cooperate more than necessary.
Catalina holds a uniquely strong perspective on civilians from a military operational standpoint, and is known to orient her plans around prioritizing their safety, even at the cost of operational efficiency. This is a continuation of her previous priorities in the Mexican military, where she was willing to negotiate with, and occasionally make concessions with organized crime to ensure civilian safety, even if it hampered her own efforts to contain organized crime.
While Catalina can carry out directives or orders that she disagrees with, she maintains personal red lines that she will not cross under any circumstances, especially concerning civilian safety. She will refuse to make decisions on a purely political basis, is immune to corruption or bribery, and would almost certainly refuse to execute operations where she considers the civilian cost disproportionately high.
She is a practicing Catholic, as is her entire family. This has influenced her views on several social topics, though many of these she does not make public, as she does not see herself as a political figure.
She is especially skeptical of Western-dominated institutions, and is privately skeptical of their intentions for nations and peoples who exist in the previously-defined Global South. She has privately stated that United States officials in particular did not grasp the intricacies of the Mexican situation, nor had a desire to help address the problem.
While many of her views on subjects are strong, she has demonstrated a willingness to soften or change her mind if given compelling evidence to do so. This has been exemplified by her evolving views on ADVENT itself.
POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS: Catalina has refrained from participating in traditional political structures through most of her career. Part of this is derived from her view that it is unethical for military officials to participate in partisan politics, but a greater part is because of her skepticism towards the legitimacy of the Mexican political system.
She never gave any endorsements even towards individuals she privately supported or who aligned with her priorities, despite attempts from multiple candidates to secure her endorsement, publicly or privately. She believes strongly in law and order, though is only uncompromising towards individuals who she perceives as having no rational reason to engage in criminal behavior. On the whole, she supports supervised reintegration into society for most criminals over incarceration, as well as a more liberal usage of the death penalty for violent crime and rape.
She prioritizes policies that emphasize stability and safety, and is wary of any promises of sweeping changes, especially when they ignore the values and culture of the immediate residents. She has previously resisted what she defines as 'foreign politics' during her time in the Mexican military, especially from other Western states, which she sees as broadly hostile towards individual cultures, local dynamics, and religions that do not align with Western belief systems or objectives.
Her politics can be defined as regionalist – she is largely averse to significant centralization or federalization of government, as she considers it a handicap for local governments to tailor their resources to the needs of their citizens. She supports a strong social safety net, and is personally passionate about the abolition of poverty.
She was not registered for any political party, nor has publicly endorsed one in her career. Each of her children have supported left-wing or socialist parties in Mexico, though are not deeply engaged politically. Her husband has joined her in withholding his vote, though primarily out of concern that his stances would be seen as hers by proxy.
It is unknown if she will continue this policy under ADVENT. We expect that in the short term she will continue to abstain from voting, but assess that she may soften or alter other political stances upon seeing the results of ADVENT and be willing to cautiously legitimize the political system.
STANCE ON ADVENT: Catalina has maintained a healthy skepticism, and an open mind towards ADVENT. She initially coordinated with ADVENT, and took the position out of pragmatism - though was reportedly prepared to resign depending on ADVENT's effectiveness and honesty.
ADVENT's efforts to restore political transparency, overt anti-corruption efforts, and substantial efforts against organized crime contributed to Catalina developing a warmer opinion of ADVENT, and a willingness to engage in its structures.
This does not mean that she does not have her own critiques and concerns within ADVENT – she believes that ADVENT's military policies are insufficient, vague, and fail to properly prioritize collateral reduction. She is also disinclined towards ADVENT's political consensus and perceived European dominance.
She was reportedly disturbed by the intention and execution of Operation Deus Vult, and lodged a complaint with the Oversight Division. The Oversight Division only confirmed they had received her note, and had followed up on some of her concerns.
She is personally opposed to several of ADVENT's political efforts which she perceives as being pushed due to its inherent Western orientation, particularly concerning issues such as substance abuse and prostitution. However, she is personally supportive of many other ADVENT policies, particularly concerning anti-poverty efforts, and the overall execution of law enforcement. She does not extend this to Chief Stein, who she perceives as being too harsh and uncompromising.
The continued improvement of quality of life within Mexico since joining ADVENT has almost certainly been a major factor that's contributed to her now-reliable support for ADVENT, even if she retains some concerns and doubts about several aspects.
CONCLUSION: Catalina Venegas is a principled, relatively effective military officer with a distinguished career that followed an unusual trajectory. While there are no clear concerns regarding Catalina, she is also someone who requires a specific approach to have a successful working relationship with.
She is currently successful in her present position, and it is advised that she continue to assist the war effort in building the Mexican Legions and supporting South American operations.
CT7712I | CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DATE: [REDACTED]
CATEGORY: MEXICO | MEXICAN MILITARY | CARTELS [NON-STATE ACTORS | ASSORTED]
CONVERSATION TRANSCRIPT | TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH
SOURCE: An individual with first-hand access to this information, and with whom our relationship is beginning. Verified validity of position and claims with other established sources.
IDENTIFIED INDIVIDUALS: VENEGAS, Catalina [General] | INDIANO, César [Sinaloa Cartel]
[César Indiano]: "You always pick the nicest places, Catalina."
[Catalina Venegas]: "You know the drill. I don't plan for this to be long."
[CI]: "I see. Serious then."
[CV]: "I would say so. You crossed too many lines to ignore this time."
[CI]: "What should I be expecting? The usual?"
[CV]: "I don't know."
[CI]: "The hell does that mean?"
[CV]: "Exactly what I said. You have forty-eight hours. Consider this a courtesy."
Source noted that Venegas passed a map with known Sinaloa production centers marked.
[CI]: "Is this a joke, my dear?"
[CV]: "Only one you brought on yourself. You knew the arrangement. When you break it, there are consequences. If your thugs can't keep their pants on, or fingers off the trigger, that isn't going to stand."
[CI]: "No one fucking cares about a few peasants. It's not like this happened in Mexico City."
[CV]: "I care, and I told you what I was willing to tolerate. You don't tolerate insubordination or broken deals. Neither do I."
[CI]: "Do you really want to do this? It'd be an unfortunate end to a rather productive relationship – one your predecessors understood. They knew better than to play the big and strong protector of the little guy."
[CV]: "I'm not my predecessors, César. And I'm not afraid of you."
[CI]: "You should be, my dear. Men much stronger than you are afraid of me."
[CV]: "I'm aware of the type, and you are not one of those men, but I expect you will meet them soon."
[CI]: "What are you talking about?"
[CV]: "Who do you think I shared that map with? Do you think I'm going to use my own soldiers when you have no shortage of rivals who will happily do the job for me?"
[CI]: "You're bluffing."
[CV]: "We'll see soon enough. Some people are smarter than you, César, and are willing to make a deal in exchange for some reasonable concessions."
[CI]: "Taking sides? Risky, Venegas. People remember this and who you helped."
[CV]: "My prioritization is stability, and keeping the violence low. And I don't care who I need to work with to achieve that. You clearly cannot keep your people under control, so your territory will go to someone who can."
[CI]: "And when they make you upset?"
[CV]: "I do the same thing. Eventually all of you will get the message, and the pragmatists will come out on top. Do you understand me?"
[CI]: "You are playing a very, very dangerous game, dear General. Crossing people like us, trying to pit against each other…that's never ended well for anyone."
[CV]: "Your forty-eight hours will go faster than you think, César."
[CI]: "Not even going to offer me a second chance?"
[CV]: "No. Because now you might learn a lesson, assuming you have your head once you have to explain why your operation is facing a setback."
[CI]: "And what if I just shoot you here and now? No one will care if another bitch is found by the road the next morning, no matter if she has a uniform or not."
[CV]: "We're not at that point yet, César. Let's not pretend we are. It only makes you sound pathetic and petulant. This is your fault, and you can keep complaining, or you can salvage what you can. Your choice."
[CI]: "We won't forget this, General."
[CV]: "Good, because I don't want to have this conversation again. Assuming you stay in your role after your fuckup, I'll see you later."
TRANSCRIPT END
GENEVA – Following the release of the Scipio Investigation which saw a significant shakeup of multiple ADVENT Legions involved in the Scipio Campaign, there was widespread speculation that ADVENT would identify a replacement to take control of the theatre. With the significant leadership losses, it is expected that whoever is placed in control will have a significant task rebuilding not only the campaign, but also reconstituting the officer corps of multiple Legions.
ADVENT took its first significant step towards rectifying this today, announcing that General Catalina Venegas, of the First Mexican Legion would be assuming command of the African theatre, under a new operation umbrella – Belisarius.
Formerly a general of the Mexican Armed Forces, General Venegas developed a reputation for her uncompromising stances concerning military conduct, a focus on stability between numerous state and non-state actors, and a balance between law and order, and on-the-ground realities. She was widely credited for the gradual lowering of violence across Mexico, and sustained diplomacy between cartels, the military, and the government.
While she received criticism for her engagements with organized crime, she nonetheless was seen as a stabilizing force, and popular figure who escaped the perception of a corrupt figure, as she made it clear her focus was on protecting Mexican citizens from cartel violence.
This engagement did not extend to friendship or support, as upon Mexico's entry into ADVENT, Venegas played a key role in ADVENT's extermination of organized crime, as well as led a purge of the Mexican military under criminal and corruption charges. She was subsequently tapped to lead one of the Mexican Legions.
Speculation on who ADVENT would select to lead the successive African campaign was extensive, and several defense sources implied that ADVENT was having difficulty finding candidates due to the perception that it was a doomed assignment. Others said ADVENT was trying to determine how to balance finding a qualified leader, while not taking someone away from other active fronts.
"The selection of General Venegas makes two things immediately clear," one expert shared. "The first is that ADVENT is signaling a full reset in their approach to the African continent. The second is that they are unwilling to significantly disrupt operations on other major fronts."
It is expected that Belisarius will be a more unorthodox assignment, as it is almost certain that ADVENT will have General Venegas involved in diplomatic efforts, in addition to rebuilding the officer corps.
The news has been received positively within the military. Several officers and soldiers who worked under General Venegas previously praised her attention to detail, work ethic, and extensive knowledge of both military strategy and political realities.
"She's tough and no-nonsense, but trust me," one officer shared. "She knows how to be political when she needs to be. You didn't keep your job in the Mexican brass if you didn't know how to manage the dynamics or throw your own weight around when you needed to."
"General Venegas has her priorities in the right place," one soldier commented. "Soldiers or civilians, she's focused on people. She won't throw her people away, and she won't order us to do things we'll have nightmares about after. I'm more surprised ADVENT picked her. I didn't think she fit what they wanted in a leader."
Accompanying the announcement was an additional slate of officials and positions directly connected to the Belisarius operation, including positions from across multiple ADVENT institutions, departments and agencies. This is a sign that analysts point to as another indication that the Belisarius campaign will differ from other ones.
In her first address as the commander of the Belisarius Campaign, General Venegas said the following.
"This campaign will be one that will be difficult, complex, and will require hard choices. It will require an atypical, creative, and unorthodox approach. For this I am utilizing the full scope of ADVENT's vast capabilities. I intend to not only achieve a military victory, but demonstrate to the African continent that we are better than our previous actions. We have already engaged multiple African states, and look forward to developing these relationships further."
The reaction of neighboring African states has so far been muted, though several have cautiously expressed optimism in the change in leadership. Analysts believe that with the SAS adopting a more aggressive approach, ADVENT has an opportunity to reset relations which had suffered as a consequence of Scipio.
"We're not going to know how successful she'll be for several months at least," one commenter said. "But the initial signs are promising. She's been handed a difficult assignment, and it's going to take a minor miracle to pull it off. If she does? She's going to go down as one of the greatest military leaders in Human history."
Others were more cautious in their outlook.
"I wish her luck," was all one said. "She's going to need it."
- Article | "Mexican General Tapped to Lead New African Campaign"
ADVENT Media Record 2445009 | Audio Transcript
Participants: VENEGAS, Catalina; NASRI, Farook; ASKER, Khaled
[Catalina Venegas]: "Good morning, please take a seat."
[Khaled Asker]: "A pleasure to meet in person, General. Khaled Asker, Oversight Division."
[Farook Nasri]: "Farook Nasri, ADVENT Diplomatic Service."
[CV]: "Both of you requested this position, if I recall correctly."
[KA]: "I expect that is the case for my colleague."
[FN]: "It is."
[CV]: "Tell me why."
[KA]: "Experience. I've been involved in Oversight duties in the region for some time. I spent time helping clear out the Egyptian Legions. This is an environment I'm familiar with, and I've heard good things about you."
[FN]: "I'm familiar with the region, General. Even before ADVENT, I was responsible for maintaining relationships across the continent. Algeria was a relatively small country, but I did my best. From what I understand, you have an interest and understanding of what ADVENT needs to do to restore itself in the eyes of the continent. I want to help that, especially if ADVENT is firmly backing you."
[CV]: "I gave the Chancellor conditions for leading this campaign. One of them was that I did this my way, and that involves more than just the military."
[FN]: "I figured. Diplomats are not usually embedded this high in campaigns."
[CV]: "As you have likely deduced, this is not going to be a conventional campaign. There is a lot of work to do and we're on a tight schedule."
[KA]: "Of course. What do we need to know?"
[CV]: "First to set expectations. Keep what I am going to say to yourselves for now."
[KA]: "We're both listening."
[CV]: "The SAS has launched several new offensives. The good news is that it's not where it'll hurt us the most. It allows a controlled retreat in the north and east."
[KA]: "A full retreat?"
[CV]: "Correct. Attempting to hold our gains after Scipio is too expensive and unsustainable. The SAS has had too much time to fortify, and Scipio's breakneck pace, coupled with the investigation, leave us vulnerable. The SAS never tried to push us, and because of that, we can reset this campaign with minimal losses."
[FN]: "A retreat to where?"
[CV]: "North Africa. We can easily hold the lines, reconstitute, reassess, and prepare for a different, sustainable campaign."
[KA]: "I see. Who is aware of this decision?"
[CV]: "The Chancellor is aware, as are those who need to know in High Command. It will be released publicly and through unofficial channels once I've finished staffing, visited the fronts, and made several other preparations. That is something I will handle."
[KA]: "And us?"
[CV]: "You will be helping vet current officers. Farook, you will commence a proper reengagement with the rest of Africa. The Horn should be your immediate focus, but if opportunities emerge, prioritize them."
[FN]: "Understood. I assume that I don't need to tell you the perceptions they have following Scipio."
[CV]: "No, you don't. I expect they will have demands or preconditions. Gather them, return them, and we'll decide how or if we can fulfill them. I've been given wide latitude on what is acceptable."
[FN]: "That's good to hear. At minimum they're going to want some assurances that ADVENT forces won't be indiscriminate in future operations. I'm aware of your reputation, but they will not be, nor will they necessarily believe it."
[CV]: "Nor should they. Actions over words. I think that the Scipio investigation was a solid first step. In the interim I'm overhauling our rules of engagement, and expectations for officers. If anything like Scipio repeats, there will be swift consequences. I know they'll be skeptical, but we'll accommodate where we can."
[FN]: "That's enough to work with. Thank you, General."
[KA]: "In the meantime, I'll begin work as you direct me, General. With that said, I'm fairly confident Oversight won't have to do much following the investigation. Your own presence will only add to that."
[CV]: "That is the ideal. I hope both of you are ready, gentlemen. It's going to be a rocky few months until things settle down."
[FN]: "I don't think any of us expected this to be easy. Welcome to the operation, General. We're looking forward to working with you."
Transcript end