In mid-November 2016, the National Defense Faculty (Facultad de Defensa Nacional – FADENA) of Argentina and the Perry Center delivered a first of a kind joint seminar titled “Uncertain Futures and New Defense Policy Imperatives” (Futuros Inciertos y los Nuevos Imperativos de la Politica de Defensa). Held in Buenos Aires, the academic engagement brought together a select group of Argentine civil servants and officials from across the interagency.

The seminar, graciously co-hosted by the Argentine National Defense University, included conferences, panels, and small group discussions; didactic formats used to emphasize the importance of an open, thoughtful, and rigorous dialogue about the challenges and opportunities of the defense sector. Insightful discussions led to an assessment of the current and future strategic environments as well as the institutional and policy requirements to best address forthcoming challenges. The event included notable contributions of renowned Argentine defense experts and the presence and leadership of Deputy Secretary Alejandro Gómez and Director Julio C. Spota. During a distinguished speaker session General John F. Kelly, USMC (ret.) provided his insights and vision on leadership for defense.

Distinguished Speaker General (ret.) John Kelly

This joint academic effort was designed based on the vision of Argentine Vice Minister Angel Tello who, during a visit at the Ministry of Defense, underscored the value of collaborative educational projects towards a shared hemispheric understanding.

(L to R) Director Mark Wilkins and Profs. Alejandro Alemán and Luis Bitencourt

Headed by Director Mark S. Wilkins, the Perry Center’s trip to Argentina was a fruitful bilateral engagement that provided several opportunities to learn from and share experiences with important official and academic institutions. Among these, the Center’s faculty and staff attended a substantive exchange at the Argentine Council on Foreign Relations (Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales – CARI) and were welcomed by Colonel Néstor Alfredo D’Ambra during a visit to the Argentine Joint Training Center for Peacekeeping Operations (Centro Argentino de Entrenamiento Conjunto para Operaciones de Paz – CAECOPAZ).