José Atilio Benítez Parada (born June 21, 1958) is a Salvadoran General, ambassador and former Minister of Defense of El Salvador.

In the second half of 2007 he was artillery colonel and commander of Cuscatlan IX in Building 1 Camp Delta, in Wasit, Iraq.

On May 31, 2009 Mauricio Funes named David Victoriano Munguía Payés as Minister of National Defense and José Atilio Benitez Parada as deputy defense minister.

From November 23, 2011 to 2013 José Atilio Benítez Parada was Minister of Defense of El Salvador in the cabinet of Mauricio Funes.

Since April 24, 2015, he has served as ambassador in Berlin with accreditation in Warsaw, Prague and Ankara.