From February 3 to 7, 2025, the Perry Center, in partnership with the Guyana National Defence Institute, delivered its mobile Strategy and Defense Policy (SDPm) course in Georgetown, Guyana. This course, designed to equip both civilian and military personnel with the tools to navigate complex security and defense challenges, was led by Perry Center Professor Dr. David Spencer, with support from Professor Celina Realuyo and Visiting Professors Dr. Roman D. Ortiz and Colonel (ret.) Glyne Grannum. The mobile course represents the first Perry Center engagement of its kind in Guyana, signaling the growing importance of the Perry Center’s institutional relationship with its Guyanese partners and alumni.
Throughout the week, participants engaged in lectures and discussions on global, regional, and national defense contexts, roles and definitions of security and defense, policy writing, strategy and strategic planning, civil-military relations, human rights accountability, emergency management, personnel management, and capabilities-based planning. Other focus areas included maritime and border security, military support for public security missions, and defense budgets. The course brought together participants from government institutions, law enforcement, and the penitentiary system, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to security and defense policymaking. Interactive tabletop exercises included a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, defense policy recommendations, and an acquisitions plan for a fictional country addressing South America’s security challenges.
Distinguished guests at the graduation ceremony included US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole D. Theriot, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, and the Institute’s director Dr. Randy Persaud, among others. The Perry Center proudly welcomes 40 new graduates into our growing alumni network, marking a milestone in the ongoing collaboration between our institution and the people of Guyana.
Although unable to attend the course in person, Perry Center Director Dr. Paul J. Angelo expressed his gratitude to the host and pride in the strategic partnership the Perry Center has developed over the decades with the Guyana Defence Force and now the National Defence Institute. He noted that this mobile course stands as more than a symbol of our mutual trust and understanding — it also represents the beginning of a new chapter in our institution’s long-running friendship with the people of Guyana. In 2023, the University of Guyana received the William J. Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education, recognizing its efforts to develop future security and defense leaders in Guyana and the Americas, and in July 2024, Perry Center faculty sponsored an interagency crisis response tabletop exercise, hosted by the Guyana Defence Force, in Georgetown.
