RUSI Latin American Security Conference 2026

What models of engagement deliver sustainable capacity-building and institutional resilience? How can defence relations complement broader UK foreign policy and economic interests in the region? What frameworks are needed for long-term, balanced cooperation?

Keynote speaker: Lord Vernon Coaker, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence

Moderator: Dr Neil Melvin, Director of International Security, RUSI

What is the short-term future of the regime?  What are the foreign policy implications for the hemisphere in managing Venezuela’s crisis? What is the next phase for US regional policy and how are Western Hemisphere security dynamics evolving amid shifting global interests?  How can Europe and the UK respond?

Speakers:
Dr Carlos Solar, Senior Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute
Major General (ret) Dustin A. Shultz, former Director of Intelligence at U.S. Southern Command
Dr Brian Fonseca, Director Jack D Gordon Institute, Florida International University
Richard Kouyoumdjian, Executive Vice Chairman, AthenaLab

Chair: Fiona Clouder, former UK Regional Ambassador to Latin America and Distinguished Fellow, RUSI

What are the prospects for joint innovation in cyber, AI, and defence technologies? How can the UK’s innovation ecosystems support Latin America’s defence modernisation efforts? What barriers limit sustainable technology transfer and cooperation? How can technological collaboration bolster resilience against hybrid and asymmetric threats?

Speakers:
John Stocker, Regional Managing Director, Americas, BAE Systems
Dr Marina Miron, Researcher, War Studies Department, King’s College London
Major General Luis Carlos, Head of Cyber Command, Brazilian Army

Moderator: Vinicius de Carvalho, War Studies Department, King’s College London

How are Latin American governments interpreting and engaging with the conflict’s global lessons? What diplomatic and strategic roles can the region play in shaping post-war international security norms? How can the UK foster meaningful engagement with Latin America on issues of sovereignty and deterrence? To what extent does the Ukraine conflict influence Latin American geostrategic thinking?

Speakers:
Dr Carlos Solar, Senior Research Fellow, RUSI
Dr Francisco Lobo, International consultant on war, ethics and diplomacy

Moderator: Dr Victoria Vdovychenko, Joint Programme Leader Future of Ukraine, University of Cambridge

How can the UK and Latin American partners reinforce peaceful governance under the Antarctic Treaty System? What are the implications of Antarctic policy for maritime security and resource stewardship? How can joint research initiatives promote trust and prevent strategic competition? What frameworks ensure environmental protection and regional stability?

Speakers:
Commander Vitor Pimentel, Brazilian Navy, UK Defence Futures & Force Design
Gp Capt (ret.) Mike Lavender OBE, RUSI Associate Fellow
Colonel Rodrigo Grunert, Chile’s Air Force attaché
Jane Rumble, Head of Polar Regions Department, FCDO
Moderator:  Juan Pablo Toro, Senior Research Fellow, AthenaLab

How are transnational criminal networks reshaping regional and global security? What joint responses can enhance intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation? How can technology and financial transparency disrupt illicit flows? What lessons can be drawn from regional stabilisation and reintegration efforts?

Speakers: 
Jennifer Scotland, Research Analyst, RUSI
John Griffiths-Spielman PhD (LTG Retired), Director of Research, AthenaLab
Carina Solmirano, Head of the Arms Trade Treaty Secretariat
Group Captain Marc Jamieson, Senior Royal Air Force Officer

Moderator: Cathy Haenlein, Director, Organised Crime and Policing, RUSI

How is Brazil leveraging its industrial and diplomatic capacity to lead in regional defence cooperation? What opportunities exist for UK–Brazil collaboration in research, training, and industrial partnerships? How can Brazil’s leadership contribute to multilateral responses to shared security challenges? What insights emerge from Brazil’s peacekeeping record and defence industrial development?

Keynote speaker: Minister Jose Mucio Monteiro, Brazilian Minister of Defence

Moderator: Vanessa Buschschluter, BBC News Online, Latin America and Caribbean Editor