From April 9-27, CHDS conducted the Defense Policy Course (ADP) for the students of Class 51 from the Inter-American Defense College. The course had as a general objective that of deepening the participants’ understanding in defense policy development. Towards this goal, the participants undertook an in-depth study of international relations, strategy, defense policy formulation, conceptual defense instruments and methodologies, decision-making processes, and results based on measures of effectiveness and evaluation to allow the students to more effectively participate in the processes for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of defense policies.

During the course the topics discussed included:

• The concepts of international relations and geopolitics and their impact on the strategic models that determine the defense policies of the nations of the Western Hemisphere.
• The relationship between strategic concepts and defense policy in order to improve the identification and selection of the defense policy objectives and the evaluation of the influence of international institutions in the development and execution of defense policy.
• The environment for enforcement and the responsibility of the defense and the security of the state, identifying the variables that define the dynamic processes of the system while at the same time that system is being influenced by new threats.
• The processes of modernization and transformation of the armed forces with regards to the dynamic of current society and the strategic, political, economic, sociological and technical influences that exist in the region’s countries which influence strategic leadership.
• The relationship between strategic models and force design, and evaluating the economic aspects of the cost-benefit ratio which influences the decision to implement this model.

As such, during the course six exercises were conducted applying the course content, utilizing diverse scenarios that may confront the students during their continuing professional careers.