William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University

On July 12th, 2011, CHDS hosted a group of students from El Salvador's Strategic Superior Studies College (CAEE) who visited Washington, DC, one week before their graduation. CAEE has been a very influential organization in the region, educating both civilian and military leaders. The great success of this educative organization has been its ability to bring together civil servants from all ideologies and put them together in an environment that fosters communication and ultimately a more effective national security strategy. For this reason, in 2009, CAEE was presented with the third annual William J. Perry Award for Excellence in Defense.

On this occasion the students from CAEE had the chance to be welcomed by Dr. Richard Downie, CHDS Director, and Major General (ret) John Thompson, just 24 hours after their arrival in the United States. They then had the opportunity to hear from Associate Dean Manuel Lora, who gave them an overview of the history and mission of CHDS. Prof. Lora's briefing touched upon important points about the Center, such as its mission and the integrality of civilians as defense and policymaking leaders. He also outlined important tenets such as the non-attribution policy of CHDS and NDU, which allows for all academics to be able to speak freely.

Afterwards a panel of professors including Dr. Jaime Garcia, Prof. Guillermo Pacheco, and Dr. Luis Kun spoke with the CAEE group about topics such as leadership, current and evolving threats to national security, and the necessity of broad knowledge in order to be prepared for implications caused by the interconnectedness of the world today. As students who will be assuming leadership positions in El Salvador, it was interesting for them to hear from Jaime Garcia about what he believed made a good leader. Dr. Garcia emphasized points such as strategic communication, cooperation, clear direction, and a profound understanding of the threats that are facing the country. Professors Pacheco and Dr. Kun corroborated this view with further analysis of the new forms of threats facing the region, and how policymakers can address and prepare for them.