WHINSEC earns 2012 Dr. William J. Perry Award

By Lee RialsOctober 3, 2012

WHINSEC
WHINSEC commandant Col. Glenn Huber shares the Perry Award statue with the institute's Board of Visitors chair, Dr. Johanna Mendelson Forman, Sept. 20 at the Award Dinner at the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, Washington. Also participating i... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation has received the Dr. William J. Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education from the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, a component of the U.S. National Defense University, Washington, DC.

Dr. Richard D. Downie, Director of the CHDS, presented the award in the institutional category to the Regional Security System, Barbados, and the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in a ceremony celebrating the 15th anniversary of the center Sept. 20.

Dr. Perry was the Secretary of Defense who established CHDS in 1997. Created in 2007, the award is given each year to individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions in promoting education, research, outreach and knowledge-sharing. Dr. Perry continues to participate in the selection of awardees.

The Dr. William J. Perry Award in the institutional category recognizes contributions that promote education, research, outreach and knowledge-sharing in defense and security issues in the Western Hemisphere which lead to enhancing professional security and defense capacity, advancing a cooperative international security environment, fostering effective civil-military relations and adhering to CHDS's core values.

In a letter to Col. Glenn Huber, WHINSEC Commandant, Dr. Downie wrote, "Since the activation of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in January 2001, the institute has consistently made significant contributions in the fields of defense and security education that reflect the values embodied by the Perry Award. Additionally, WHINSEC's faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to develop a cooperative environment to share best practices in pursuit of improved security cooperation among all nations of the Western Hemisphere."

WHINSEC will host more than 2,200 students in residence this year, its highest number since it opened. When combined with the international student population at the MCOE, Fort Benning has the largest international student training population in DOD. This prestigious recognition is a direct reflection of the Institute's reputation, quality and professionalism and its mutually beneficial security cooperation contributions throughout the hemisphere.

Visitors are welcome at the institute at any time.