On October 7, the US Coast Guard and US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), with support from NDU’s Center for Complex Operations (CCO) and the Perry Center, organized a panel discussion on the topic of emerging challenges facing the Western Hemisphere. More than 400 live audience members and 160 online viewers took in the two-part event.

Mr. Michael Miklaucic, CCO Director of Research, Information, and Publications, served as host and emcee. During the first part of the event, US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul F. Zukunft and SOUTHCOM Commander General John F. Kelly participated in a broad-ranging discussion with Mr. Miklaucic on the complex challenges and unique convergence of threats present in the Western Hemisphere. They discussed the potential spread of Ebola to the Hemisphere, the ongoing fight against international organized crime, and the Central America migration crisis, among many other topics.

Following the first discussion and a lively question-and-answer period, Mr. Miklaucic convened a panel discussion featuring Mr. Michael A. Braun (Managing Partner, SGI Global, LLC; former Chief of Operations, US Drug Enforcement Agency); Mr. Douglas Farah (Senior Fellow, International Assessment and Strategy Center; Adjunct Fellow, CSIS); and Ms. Celina B. Realuyo (Professor of Practice, Perry Center). The panelists offered unique perspectives based on their own experiences with regional trends and threats, and provided further detail on the diverse array of challenges facing the Western Hemisphere.