Latin American and Caribbean countries face mounting risks from natural disasters, with the region ranking as one of the most climate vulnerable areas in the world. With climate change likely to exacerbate these challenges, developing effective strategies for delivering Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), is of critical importance in the Western Hemisphere.

In this episode, Ryan C. Berg sits down with CDR (ret.) Pat Paterson, Professor of Practice at National Defense University’s William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Together they discuss a recent report from the Perry Center on improving U.S. humanitarian aid efforts. They delve into current approaches, areas for increased cooperation, as well as the still small but growing footprint of China's HADR efforts in the western hemisphere.