| Office: | Acting President of Ecuador |
| Term Start: | 29 March 1966 |
| Term End: | 29 March 1966 |
| Predecessor: | Ramón Castro Jijón |
| Successor: | Clemente Yerovi |
| Birth Name: | Telmo Oswaldo Vargas Benalcázar |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1912 |
| Birth Place: | San José de Minas, Quito Canton, Ecuador |
| Death Place: | Quito, Ecuador |
| Rank: | General |
General Telmo Oswaldo Vargas Benalcázar (9 October 1912 – 9 August 2013[1]) was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ecuador, who overthrew the military junta of Ramón Castro Jijón on 29 March 1966.[2] [3] [4] [5] After Castro Jijón turned over power to army high command, the high command appointed Clemente Yerovi as president of the civilian junta.[6] As the leader of the army high command, Vargas is considered by some to have briefly served as head of state of Ecuador.[7] He died on 9 August 2013 at the age of 100.[8]