In a ceremony presided over by Dr. Richard Downie, the Director of the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, and the guest speaker, the honorable Paul McHale, the resident phase of the four advanced and one specialized courses came to to a close. During this period, the advanced course on Civil-Political-Military Relationships and Democratic Leadership (ACPMR) was taught under the direction of Dr. Jaime Garcia; the advanced course on Strategy and International  Security (SIS) was directed by Dr. Scott Tollefson; the advanced course on Governance, Governability and Security in the Americas (GGSA) was conducted by Dr. Michael Gold-Bliss; and the advanced course on Terrorism and Counterinsurgency (TCI) was under the direction Dr. Alejandro Arbelaez. These courses will fully conclude within eight weeks as the participants present their final investigative projects, which will enable those that have completed all the requirements to receive academic credit. Concurrently with the advanced courses was the first specialized course taught at the Center, under the direction of Celina Realuyo, which explored Combating Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC).

The director of CHDS, like the guest speaker, placed special emphasis on encouraging the participants to put into practice the knowledge shared and ideas generated during the courses in order to actively contribute to the discussion, formulation and implementation of policies and strategies designed to confront the common threats in Latin America.