On September 15th, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs Frank Mora was the keynote speaker at a three-day conference on “Civilian Careers for Defense Professionals” co-sponsored by his office and the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.

Mora told the group of 93 government officials, academicians and other specialists from around the hemisphere that the issue of trengthening civilian roles and expertise in Latin American ministries of defense was a strategic priority for the U.S. Defense Department.

“If civilians are to maintain subjective and objective control of the armed forces, they must have a strong understanding of the military services as an institution, their different cultures, and how they are operated, equipped and structured,” Mora said.

“In the last two decades, Latin America has made civilian, democratic control of the military a priority through changes in national defense laws, constitutional reforms, and other legal restrictions,” he added. “Education also plays an important role in developing this control, especially since it is the piece that is most in need of further development.”

The conference was part of a weeklong schedule of activities conducted by CHDS. These included a conclave of Center alumni ssociations from around the Americas, the celebration of its 12th anniversary, and the presentation of the William J. Perry Award for Security and Defense Education in the institutional category to the Colegio de Altos Estudios Estrategicos (CAEE) of El Salvador.