Barbados president urges hemispheric unity at Inter-American Defense College graduation

Barbados president urges hemispheric unity at Inter-American Defense College graduation

WASHINGTON, D.C., : Military officers, national police personnel, civilian officials, and government representatives from 19 countries across the Americas graduated from the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) on Friday, June 12, during a commencement ceremony held in the Hall of the Americas at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS). 

The graduating class of 65 joins a distinguished network of more than 3,000 alumni from 27 nations who have completed the prestigious programme since the college was established in 1962. Approximately 27 per cent of graduates have gone on to attain the rank of general or flag officer, or its civilian equivalent, serving in senior leadership positions across the hemisphere. 

The keynote address was delivered by Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, president of Barbados and a distinguished alumnus of the college. During the ceremony, President Bostic was also conferred with an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contributions to regional leadership and security cooperation. 

Addressing the graduates, President Bostic described the IADC as a unique institution that, for more than six decades, has brought together military officers, law enforcement leaders, diplomats, and civilian officials from across the hemisphere to build trust and foster cooperation.

“Look at the faces around this room,” he told graduates. “In 11 months, you have become living proof of a simple idea — that 19 flags can beat with one heart.”

He praised the college’s faculty and staff for preparing leaders capable of addressing the increasingly complex security challenges facing the Americas.

According to President Bostic, the concept of security has evolved beyond conventional military threats to include cyberattacks, transnational crime, disinformation campaigns, climate-related disasters, migration pressures, and economic instability.

“The battlefield has changed,” he said. “Today’s threats do not respect borders or uniforms. They move through networks, cables, and information feeds.”

The Barbadian leader outlined three interconnected fronts in the modern security environment: the physical front, involving organized crime, narcotics trafficking, and illegal fishing; the digital front, characterized by cyber threats and information warfare; and the human front, encompassing climate change, public health emergencies, humanitarian crises, and economic resilience. 

He stressed that no country can effectively confront these challenges in isolation.

“A cyberattack in Santiago is our fight in Bridgetown,” he said. “An earthquake in Belize is our mission in Ecuador. Our hemisphere is too interconnected for any of us to pretend we can go it alone.”

Throughout his address, President Bostic emphasised that the most valuable asset graduates gained was not their diploma, but the professional relationships and trust forged among classmates.

“When the next crisis hits — and it will — you will not be reading a policy paper,” he said. “You will be making a call to someone who sat a few seats away from you in the seminar room.”

He urged graduates to maintain those connections and continue sharing information and expertise long after returning to their respective countries. He also paid tribute to the graduates’ families, noting that their sacrifices and support were integral to the success of the programme. 

The graduation ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of the OAS, senior officials of the Inter-American Defense Board, ambassadors, military attachés, and members of the diplomatic corps. 

President Bostic concluded by challenging the graduates to become leaders capable of navigating uncertainty while strengthening regional partnerships.

“Your job is no longer focused on defending territory alone,” he said. “It is to defend clarity, defend facts, and defend the ability of your citizens to distinguish between threat and noise, between adversary and ally.”

Congratulating the class, he reminded graduates that the security and prosperity of the Americas depend on cooperation among nations.

“The hemisphere is counting on you,” he said. 

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