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OAS Secretary General inaugurates IADC Symposium

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today inaugurated the symposium "The Armed Forces and their Participation in Public Security and Development Assignments," to be held today and tomorrow at the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) in Washington, DC.

The event, organized by the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), with the support of the OAS Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, the Center for Hemispheric Studies, and the IADC, aims to promote "the exchange of experiences among countries on the use of the armed forces against non-traditional threats," explained the Director General of the General Secretariat of the IADB, Major General Juarez Aparecido de Paula, from Brazil.

Secretary General Insulza emphasized in his speech that the spread of democracy in the region in recent decades has meant that "the concept of our role in terms of defense and security has changed in this period." "In a peaceful hemisphere the tasks have to be redefined," said Secretary General Insulza, adding that "in a democratic hemisphere tasks have to be carried out while always keeping in mind the importance of maintaining the authority of civil governments throughout the region."

In this new geopolitical context, said the leader of the hemispheric institution, "new problems must be faced, which may require organized, and sometimes even military action, or at least action that is organized with military criteria and discipline." That, according to the Secretary General, "led to a redefinition of the concept of security in the hemisphere and the development of the concept of multidimensional security."

New challenges can be understood, said Secretary General Insulza, in two fundamental categories: first, "emergencies – serious crisis situations caused by some phenomenon – whether earthquake-related, climatic or some pandemic that requires nationwide organization, discipline and management, something that the armed forces are better able to handle, while always remaining subordinate to civilian power; and, second, "when civil authorities consider sectors of society have gone outside the law, affecting the stability of the State and affecting their geographical presence in the nation or generating armed confrontation against society and the nation as a whole."

Several countries in the region have valuable experience dealing with these types of challenges, said the Secretary General, adding that "we want to learn about those experiences; we should work with them but in a way that is respectful of the political, constitutional and legal systems of the members of this organization."

For his part, Director of the Inter-American Defense College (IADC), the United States’ Rear Admiral Jeffrey Lemmons, welcomed the participants in the Symposium, and stressed the importance the institution he leads gives to "the words and actions of our leaders," which define "the rules we will abide by and obey." Rear Admiral Lemmons presented the IADC to the attendees as the place where "we study and prepare our students and our graduates to be responsive to the things that are of importance to the OAS and to the nations."

The Chair of the IADB, Lieutenant General Guy Thibault, from Canada, explained that the central theme of the symposium is "how can we take all the tools we have available to address the threats we face?” The seminar will focus on "advancing ideas on how the military can and should be involved in matters important to giving our citizens better security" said Lieutenant General Thibault.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-198/13