On April 9, 2025, the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies welcomed a delegation from Paraguay’s Ministry of Defense as part of an ongoing bilateral engagement. The delegation included three distinguished representatives: Colonel Hugo Osvaldo Javier Rodríguez Martínez (Deputy Director General of the Institute for Advanced Strategic Studies – IAEE), Captain Livio Alberto Duarte Romero and Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Daniel Fleitas García, also from the Paraguayan Armed Forces. They were accompanied by Major Austin Hoopes, Bilateral Affairs Officer with the Security Cooperation Office at the US Embassy in Asunción.

The delegation was received by Perry Center Deputy Director Rubén López and Professor Arturo Sotomayor. Mr. López offered welcome remarks, providing an overview of the Perry Center’s mission, followed by Dr. Sotomayor’s presentation titled “Civil-Military Relations: Questions, Trends, and Analytical Approaches.”

The visit underscored the enduring partnership between the United States and Paraguay, fostering dialogue on shared security challenges within the Western Hemisphere. Additional engagements with Paraguay are planned for later this year, including an asynchronous virtual cyber fundamentals course and the XXVI Conference of Directors of Ibero-American Defense Colleges (ACDIA), which will be hosted by the IAEE.