Brazilian Navy Admiral Alipio Jorge Rodrigues da Silva, ESG commander; U.S. Army Lieutenant General (ret.) Frederick S. Rudy Rudesheim, director of the William J. Perry Center; Liliana Ayalde, former U.S. ambassador to Brazil; and Brazilian Air Force Lieutenant General Leonidas de Araújo Medeiros Júnior, ESG deputy commander, signed the memorandum.
Lt. Gen. Rudesheim spoke about the combined efforts toward the development of both countries. “We seek what Brazil is seeking, and this is the beginning of our union and cooperative mindset. We are here as a center for dialogue, to lend our efforts to Brazil, which is such an important country.”
Ayalde highlighted the importance of this new stage of the relationship between Brazil and the United States. “We have a lot in common, including challenges, which are increasingly more difficult, complex, and global. Therefore, the diversity of ideas will help to face them,” she said.
With the Memorandum of Understanding, the institutions try to establish closer working relationships on research and the application of scientific knowledge in security, defense, and war and peace studies.
Brazilian Army Major General Marco Antônio Martin da Silva, ESG Army Command military advisor, conducted a panel to present ESG structure to Perry Center members. The following were part of the delegation: Dr. Scott Tollefson, dean of Academic Affairs; U.S. Army Colonel (ret) Pat Mathes, Perry Center representative to U.S. Southern Command; Kara O’Ryan, educational outreach specialist, and professors Luis Bitencourt, Celina Realuyo, and Dr. Boris Saavedra.