The following is a message from Dr. Paul J. Angelo, Director of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies:
Greetings and happy new year from the Perry Center. As we reflect on 2023, we want to express our gratitude for you – our alumni, partners, and stakeholders – and for everything we accomplished together. Last year the Perry Center Alumni Network reached a milestone of 10,000! And here at the Center, new and innovative activities helped us accomplish that achievement. We added a new climate security line of effort, held an Alumni Leader Summit, implemented a fully bilingual course, and had a class with more women participants than men – all firsts. We implemented 13 transformative programs, producing 650 graduates from 34 countries. We also welcomed to our team two new permanent faculty members, a Climate Security Fellow, and a Colombian Navy Fulbright Scholar. And we demonstrated our commitment to knowledge growth by emphasizing publications and research.
Looking to 2024, we are even more excited about our efforts to expand and innovate Perry Center programming. This year we will launch a new version of our flagship course, Governance and Strategy for Security and Defense, accompanied by mobile Strategy and Defense Policy courses in Suriname and Ecuador. We will debut two new courses: Civil-Military Relations in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention and an Advanced Course in Maritime Security Policy. We will launch an updated version of our cybersecurity course, Cyber Policy Development and Artificial Intelligence Applications for Defense, and a cybersecurity seminar in Barbados in partnership with the Regional Security System. In addition, we will hold the first English-language version of our Strategic Implications of Human Rights and Rule of Law course, a virtual Defense Education Pedagogy workshop, and an Emerging Leader Summit.
While the Perry Center’s focus themes continue to evolve, fostering positive civil-military relations remains our core objective. We will forge ahead with the same values, principles, and priorities that have always governed our work, while continuing to foster a network of individuals and institutions committed to making the Americas safer, stronger, and more resilient. We will explore opportunities for closer collaboration, cross-programming, and partnerships that increase our collective impact. In the meantime, your Perry Center family wishes you a new year full of joy, peace, and prosperity.
