CDR (ret.) Patrick Paterson, PhD
CDR (ret.) Patrick Paterson, PhD
Associate Dean for Research and Publications
CONTACT
+1 202 685-9453
BIOGRAPHY
14 Aug 2024

Patrick Paterson is the Associate Dean for Research and Publications at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (WJPC). A 1989 graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he retired from the Navy as a Commander in 2009. His last assignment was as the Political‑Military Advisor on the Fourth Fleet staff in Mayport, FL. His PhD in Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University focused on negotiations with military institutions during post‑conflict transitions to democracy. He has a master’s degree in National Security Studies from the Naval Post‑graduate School in Monterey, CA, a master’s equivalent from the Argentina Naval War College in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a master’s degree in Political Science from American University in Washington, DC. He is the author of five books and numerous defense and security‑related articles in journals such as The Journal of Military Ethics, Military Review, Armed Forces Journal, Proceedings Magazine, Joint Force Quarterly, Naval History, The Journal of International Affairs, and Security and Defense Studies Review. His latest book, The Almanac of Latin American History, is a compilation of the most historically significant events in Latin America and the Caribbean from 1800-2020, containing vignettes of more than 700 events organized per month and calendar date. His principal areas of expertise include climate change, civil‑military relations, human rights, international humanitarian law, maritime security, and US and Latin American history.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Paterson, Patrick. "Results of the Perry Center Threats Survey." Perry Center Occasional Paper. William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. February 2024.
Paterson, Patrick. The Almanac of Latin American History - Political and Security Events from 1800 to the Present, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024.
Paterson, Patrick. "Fog of War: Broadening U.S. Military Use-of-Force Training for Security Cooperation." Joint Force Quarterly, no. 105, 2nd quarter 2022, 14-22.
Chang, Daniel and Patrick Paterson. "The Colombia Coca Bloom, the Mexican Heroin Surge, and the Fentanyl Crisis." Regional Insights 2022, no. 1 (March 2022)
Paterson, Patrick. "Civil-Military Relations: Guidelines in Politically Charged Societies" in Parameters 52, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 5-20.
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