Patrick Paterson, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice
Dr. Pat Paterson is a Professor of Practice at the William J. Perry Center at National Defense University. A 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he retired from the Navy as a Commander in 2009. Pat is completing his 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 Master's 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 four books and numerous defense and security-related articles in journals such as The Journal of Military Ethics, Military Review, U.S.N.I. Proceedings Magazine, Joint Force Quarterly, and Naval History. His most recent book, The Blurred Battlefield (J.S.O.U. Press, 2021), examines the complex security environment facing Latin American military forces and the legal sources that determine use-of-force rules. His principal areas of expertise include civil-military relations, human rights, international humanitarian law, and the U.S. and Latin American history.