John “Jay” Cope

With deep sadness, we acknowledge the passing of US Army Colonel (ret.) John “Jay” Cope, a visionary leader whose devotion, service, and brilliance helped shape our beloved William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in its earliest years. As the Center’s founder, Jay gave life to Secretary Perry’s idea, developing the curriculum, hiring the inaugural faculty, and securing resources to establish a brick-and-mortar institute. Every step of the way, Jay was guided by deep patriotism, profound optimism, and an innate understanding of US defense policy and priorities in the Americas.

Jay’s empathy and appreciation for Latin America and the Caribbean were at the heart of his work. His insights into the region’s complexities and emphasis on meaningful dialogue made him a trusted figure in security discussions evolving out of the first Summit of the Americas in 1994 and the first Defense Ministerial of the Americas in 1995.

While at the National Defense University, he fostered intellectual exchange through his “Friends of the Americas” meetings, drawing in students and experts alike and always ensuring that the conversations were tú a tú – that no one was left behind.

Jay led humbly, always working behind the scenes with a genuine interest in fostering collaboration. As the then-Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies took shape, he traveled extensively throughout the Western Hemisphere, generating buy-in from defense schools, civilian universities, and other institutional counterparts.

Jay’s legacy – and his enduring imprint on hemispheric relations – will long outlast the time he gave us. The Perry Center’s faculty and staff extend our appreciation and deepest condolences to Jay’s family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched.