Pat Paterson is the Associate Dean for Research and Publications at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. 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. He completed his PhD in Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University where his research focuses on negotiations with military institutions during post-conflict transitions to democracy. He has a master’s degree in national security studies from the Naval Postgraduate 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 the American University in Washington, DC.

He is the author of four 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 Blurred Battlefield (JSOU Press, 2021), addresses the need for hybrid doctrines on the use of force for Latin American militaries combating violent crime groups. His principal areas of expertise include civil-military relations, human rights, rule of law, international humanitarian law, and US and Latin American history.