UG receives 2023 Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education

…recognition not to be taken “lightly” – Pres Ali

The University of Guyana (UG) on Wednesday received the 2023 William J Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education in recognition of the tertiary institution’s work to develop and equipped future leaders to address critical security and defence challenges.
Conferred by the William J Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, the award – named after the Center’s founder, a former United States Secretary of Defence – is given to individuals and institutions in recognition of significant contributions in the field of security and defence education in the Americas.
In 2022, UG launched a master’s degree in strategic development studies. The programme was developed as a result of a collaboration between UG; National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) of Guyana and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) – and the United States Government through the William J Perry Center, among others.

Last September, the Perry Center named UG as the recipient of the Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defence Education during a visit to the facility by President Dr Irfaan Ali – an alumnus of the Perry Center.
During the presentation ceremony on Wednesday at UG’s Turkeyen Campus, President Ali, who had given the directive two years ago to launch the master’s programme as part of efforts to enhance Guyana’s defence capability, underscored the importance of foreign institutions such as the Perry Center in Guyana’s efforts to build out a defence ecosystem.
“It is a tremendous honour to achieve this accolade, this award, and we must not take it lightly at all. The Perry Center is perhaps one of the most celebrated institutions globally that focuses on strategic-thinking in relation to security and defence. In this Center, you have some of the finest minds globally on security defence issues,” President Ali stated.
The Head of State pointed out that having prestigious institutions such as the Perry Center as partners augurs well for Guyana and speaks volumes to the confidence there is in the local systems.

“These institutions just do not apply their names to your programmes without being confident about where you’re going, what you’re doing and being confident about the leadership… and to be assured that the country is taking the right decisions from a democratic perspective, from a security perspective…,” he stated.
Moreover, the Guyanese Leader wants the collaboration between UG, the GDF and the Perry Center to be further expanded, and outlined a host of areas for these institutions to partner in. He also spoke about positioning the National Defence Institute in Guyana as a premier regional security institution as well as having UG as a central hub for security training and for the integration of leaders across the Region with respect to security management and defence leadership.
“We take this [award] as one small step in the journey ahead of building out an ecosystem that would be second to none,” President Ali stated.
Meanwhile, Perry Center Director, Paul J Angelo said this award to UG was not just to celebrate an academic achievement, but was also a recognition of a partner in peace, a leader in education and a pivotal player in resolving the most pressing regional issues.
He lauded Guyana for developing and expanding its security and defence capabilities through education and international collaboration with partners. Through its Masters of Science and Strategic Development Studies programme, the Perry Center Director noted, UG has produced tangible benefits to the security sector especially within the GDF.
“Graduates from each cohort of students including [a GDF] officer currently enrolled in our Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention Course in Washington, DC, highlight how the master’s programme has broadened their analysis on hemispheric security and defence issues and has provided a deeper appreciation for the strategic environment in which they operate,” Angelo stated.
The University of Guyana’s Master of Science in Strategic Development Studies programme is aimed at equipping students with a comprehensive understanding of contemporary security threats, defence planning, and strategic analysis. The programme is being offered by the University’s Institute of Human Resiliency, Strategic Security, and the Future (IHRSSF). The programme focuses on key areas such as The Strategic Environment; State Institutions and Governance; Policy Formulation for Strategic Development; Data and Information Management; Evolving Issues in Democracy and the Contemporary Environment; Strategic Leadership and Capstone Research Project.
UG’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin has emphasised the institution’s commitment to advancing security and defence education. She said that the establishment of this defence studies programme was a collective effort to ensure that Guyana has “battle-ready brain”.
“Everything that we do in this university is for this country and now with our regional and hemispheric focus, we do it in the best interest of those who are friends of this country and who supports this country. This is not a slight moment – a moment that is to be brushed aside perfunctorily. This is a highly, highly significant moment,” Professor Mohamed Martin stated.
Chief-of-Defence at the GDF, Brigadier Omar Khan; Director of NISA, Colonel Sheldon Howell; National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia and US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot were among those at the award presentation ceremony on Wednesday.
The Perry Center, affiliated with the National Defense University in Washington, DC, is a leading institution dedicated to fostering security cooperation throughout the Western Hemisphere.