As part of the Master in National Security Administration for Senior Executives (MNSA-SE), a delegation from the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) composed of high-ranking government and private sector officials flew to the United States for the annual Global Security and Development Study (GSDS).  

Justice Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez serves as NDCP’s Head of Delegation with 25 other senior government officials and a prominent Chief Executive Officer from the private sector visiting key security and defense institutions in Washington DC and New York.

The GSDS activity, which will run from 26 February 2024 to 4 March 2024, is in line with the push of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to build up the Philippines’ defense capability by keeping up with technological advancement and the security environment.

This year’s GSDS will feature stops at the US Department of Homeland Security; National Defense University; the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy; US Department of Defense (Pentagon); US House of Representatives (Capitol) Committee on Armed Services; Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations (UN); Council on Foreign Relations; and UN Headquarters.

The delegation is set to receive briefings and engage in substantive conversations with their hosts about domestic, regional, and global affairs, bilateral relations with the Philippines, maritime security, defense cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

The first day of the GSDS tour, Undersecretary Gutierrez thanked the Philippine Embassy to the US in Washington DC for their warm welcome and hospitality.

She also expressed the delegation’s excitement about the briefings, purposeful interactions, and educational tours they will embark on throughout the week-long GSDS tour.

“We are eager to strengthen our relationships and further develop upon the invaluable knowledge we have acquired during our visit,” stated Gutierrez. 

“We anticipate the days ahead with great enthusiasm and are enthusiastic about the potential for collaboration and forming new partnerships,” she added. 

The GSDS is one of the integral components of the MNSA program.

With the activity, the NDCP brings its scholars to a select country of destination to help enhance their strategic thinking by exposing them to the security issues affecting the Philippines in the larger context of the Asia-Pacific region.