From September 15–17, 2026, Associate Director of Outreach and Admissions Kara O’Ryan, along with Professors Celina Realuyo and Boris Saavedra, led the Alumni Transnational Threats Seminar in Bogota, Colombia. The seminar brought together 25 Perry Center alumni from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru for an alumni-led knowledge-sharing exchange on cartels, transnational organized crime, government responses, and U.S. policy. The seminar emphasized the Perry Center’s alumni network as a professional community in which participants move from learners to teachers, sharing their expertise and experiences while building connections across the region.
The three-day agenda featured alumni-led discussions on the U.S. National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, the regional security context, and national and regional approaches to counter-cartel activities. Participants also exchanged perspectives on countering drug, human, and arms trafficking; the use of drones in transnational threats; and the roles of armed forces and police in addressing these challenges. Additional sessions examined the application of law against transnational threats and the ways cyber, financial systems, and social media can enable them.
Throughout the week, Perry Center leadership and faculty also engaged with academic and professional partners in Colombia. On September 14, Ms. O’Ryan, along with Professors Realuyo and Saavedra, met with the leadership of Universidad Militar Nueva Granada and the Colombian War College to discuss the Perry Center’s current curriculum and explore opportunities for continued academic collaboration.
The seminar concluded on September 17, which also marked the Perry Center’s 29th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, the Colombia Alumni Chapter hosted an alumni event attended by more than 150 alumni and special invitees, including Colombian Major General Carlos Enrique Carrasquilla Gómez, a Perry Center graduate and Colombia’s current Chief of Defense, and former Commander of the Colombian Armed Forces, General Carlos Ospina. Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Americas Security Affairs Joseph M. Humire delivered remarks on the National Defense Strategy and U.S. priorities in the Western Hemisphere, addressing homeland defense, regional partnerships, shared responsibility for security, and the need to adapt to an evolving strategic environment. He also highlighted the importance of regional cooperation to counter transnational criminal and narco-terrorist networks and address emerging security challenges.
During the ceremony, Perry Center Director COL John D. Suggs, Ms. O’Ryan, and Professors Realuyo and Saavedra were awarded the INTERLANZA Cross of Honor by the International Association of Lancers of Colombia in recognition of their contributions. The ceremony commemorated 29 years of Perry Center engagement in the hemisphere while celebrating the enduring partnerships and professional relationships that support the Center’s regional mission.
The day following the seminar’s conclusion, on September 18, COL Suggs, along with Professors Realuyo and Saavedra, met with the leadership of Colombia’s Escuela de Postgrados de Policía (ESPOL) to review the institutions’ academic agreement and discuss future collaboration in courses, outreach, research, and publications. ESPOL Director LTC John Quiroga and Deputy Director LTC Leonardo Guzmán hosted the Perry Center delegation at the Police Graduate School.
As an initial engagement, the Perry Center hosted a class of 26 Colombian police majors in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2026.
