The challenges of Security and Defense in the post-COVID 19 era

The XIV Edition of the Permanent Seminar, organized by the Francisco Villamartín Chair, develops six thematic blocks during the months of October and November that will analyze threats in times of pandemic

Daria Efimova

The start of the 2021-22 academic year brings with it the XIV Edition of the Permanent Seminar, organized by the Francisco Villamartín Chair. The second module of the program, which deals with “Nuclear, chemical and bacteriological threat”, will take place on October 13, from 17 to 19 p.m., in the Assembly Hall of the Madrid campus, in Vicálvaro. Each seminar has the recognition of 0,1 RAC credits.

Lectures of great added value for students

The program is divided into six thematic blocks, all dealing, in some way, with the impact that the pandemic has had on security and defense. Economy, intelligence, industry and journalism are some of the aspects discussed in the seminar. “We organize the presentations taking into account the specialization of the coordinators of each block”, narrates Vicente Garrido Rebolledo, professor of International Relations at the URJC and director of the ´Francisco Villamartín´ Chair of Security and Defense. In this way, they manage to better understand the needs of the students of each degree and faculty, and create content around it.

Starting in October, every week there will be a seminar at different URJC campuses. The second module, to be held on October 13, is divided into two presentations. The first, entitled "The nuclear and biological threat", will be given by the nuclear engineer and Technical Advisor for Foreign Affairs, Carlos Torres Vidal. The other, which deals with chemical and bacteriological threats, will have as speaker the Secretary General of the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (ANPAQ), Fernando Borredá Juste.

The quality of the presentations is a very important aspect for the organizers of the Permanent Seminar. As Vicente Garrido explains: “The objective is to give a specialist approach to the subject in question. People from the academic field do not come to speak, but those who are, or have been, involved in the sector.” Thus, it is possible to provide a great added value to the contents of the program, since they analyze aspects that "are not seen in the teaching guides".

Interest beyond academics

Although it focuses on security and defense, one of the advantages of the Permanent Seminar is its multidisciplinary approach. In this way, it is interesting for students of different careers and specializations. Now, during the pandemic, it is also gaining interest from the general population. “Through movies, books, series, confusion is generated, but curiosity is also formed”, concludes Vicente Garrido. “The public begins to ask what is true and what things are lies; and we explain it in the most interactive and professional way possible.”