Commander (ret.) Patrick Paterson

Pat Paterson is a Professor of Practice at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (WJPC). A 1989 graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he retired from in the Navy as a Commander in 2009. His last assignment was as the Political-Military Advisor on the Fourth Fleet staff in Mayport, FL. He is in the process of completing doctoral studies in Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University where his research focuses on negotiations with military institutions during post-conflict transitions to democracy. He has a Master’s degree in National Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, a Masters equivalent from the Argentina Naval War College in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington, DC. He is the author of three books and numerous defense and security related articles in journals such as The Journal of Military Ethics, Military Review, Armed Forces Journal, Proceedings Magazine, Joint Force Quarterly, Naval History, The Journal of International Affairs, and Security and Defense Studies Review. He has appeared on BBC Radio. His principal areas of expertise include civil-military relations, human rights, rule of law, international humanitarian law, and US and Latin American history.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Paterson, Patrick. "Measuring Military Professionalism in Partner Nations: Guidance for Security Assistance Officials." Journal of Military Ethics Summer 2019. Link
• Paterson, Patrick. "Origins of US Foreign Policy." Occasional Paper. Washington, DC: William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, 2018. Download (English) Download (Spanish)
• Paterson, Patrick. "US Tactical Challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan: Finding the Proper Balance between Force Protection and Collateral Damages." Cuaderno de Difusión: Pensamiento de Estado Mayor 41 (dic 2017): 7-17. Download
• Paterson, Patrick. "Calentamiento Global y Cambio Climático en Sudamérica.” Revista Política y Estrategia 130 (2017): 153-188. Download
• Paterson, Patrick. Training Surrogate Forces in International Humanitarian Laws: Lessons from El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, and Iraq. Tampa: Joint Special Forces University, 2016. Download
• Earle, Walter and Patrick Paterson, eds., Contemporary Security and Defense Issues in the Caribbean. Washington, DC: William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, 2016. Download
• Paterson, Patrick. "Transitional Justice in Colombia: Amnesty, Accountability, and the Truth Commission." Occasional Paper. Washington, DC: William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, 2016. Download