WASHINGTON, DC – Retired US Army Lieutenant General Frederick S “Rudy” Rudesheim will be the next director of the William J Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (WJPC), the Department of Defense’s Regional Center for Security Studies for the Western Hemisphere.
Born and raised for 18 years in the Republic of Panama, Rudesheim was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1981, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He holds Master’s degrees in International Relations from Troy University; in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College; and in Advanced Military Studies from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.
He served as the Commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), deploying to Iraq from April 2003 to March 2004. He also served as Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division and Multi-National Division-Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom from February 2009 to January 2010. He later served as the Commander for the United States Army-South at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
His previous joint assignments include a tour with US. Joint Forces-Korea; Director of Joint Capability Development at the US Joint Forces Command; and three tours with the Joint Staff: the first as a Division Chief and Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs (Western Hemisphere) for the J5, the second as the Deputy Director for the J7, and most recently as the Vice Director of the Joint Staff. Prior to his retirement on December 31, 2017, Rudesheim served as the US Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“It’s an honor to be selected to join the professionals at the Perry Center. I believe the Center’s mission is essential to furthering our defense engagement strategy, working with our regional partners towards a more mutually secure and prosperous hemisphere,” Rudesheim said.
Rudesheim will replace Mr. Jeffrey Murphy, who served as the Acting Director of WJPC since June 2017.
Rudesheim was selected for director by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and is expected to start his tenure as director in February 2018.
