Inter-American Defense College
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Inter-American Defense College
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Mtro. Juan Pablo Carrasco Rangel
Professor
Juan Pablo Carrasco Rangel is a security and defense professional with more than 19 years of operational and leadership experience. For 15 years, he served in the Federal Police of Mexico, actively collaborating in prevention, intelligence, and police training at the national level. His career has been built on directing strategic analysis units and managing security and training programs. He currently serves as Head of the Learning Center and Academic Registrar, where he has demonstrated his expertise in Learning Management System (LMS) administration and the development of knowledge initiatives, strengthening institutional capacity at the hemispheric level.
Throughout his career, he has led innovation in instructional design and pedagogy, migrating curricula to digital platforms to ensure transformative learning experiences. M.S. Carrasco Rangel integrates into his practice a deep understanding of security challenges and a human rights and gender perspective. In his role as Head of the Learning Center, he has driven digital literacy among staff and faculty through the use of various virtual tools and emerging technologies, demonstrating his ability to manage learning in modern environments.
M.S. Carrasco Rangel, who holds a Master of Science in Inter-American Defense and Security from the Inter-American Defense College (Class 58) and is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Library Science, has applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) to research and data analysis in previous roles, complementing his security expertise. In addition to his experience in Mexico, he has administrative experience with the Government of Ireland and has collaborated with international agencies such as the FBI and AMERIPOL. His strategic vision and expertise in program, data, and technology management uniquely position him to contribute to the College’s mission, educating the next generation of defense and security leaders with a practical and cutting-edge approach.
✉ juan.carrasco@iadc.edu
Zoraya Rosanna Alas Candia
Assistant Professor
Zoraya Rosanna Alas Candia (PAR) is the Coordinator of External Relations at the IADC for the Alumni Program. She holds a Doctorate in National Defense, Development, and Strategic Security (IAEE). She has earned four master’s degrees: in Science; Inter-American Defense and Security (CID – Class 63); Government and Public Management; National Development, Defense and Strategic Security; and General Law—all with top honors, and two with thesis publication recommendations. She also holds specializations in Strategic Intelligence and Higher University Teaching. She has served as a diplomat with ministerial rank to the OAS and held senior leadership roles in the Paraguayan government.
✉ zoraya.alas@iadc.edu
Dr. Gabriel Farfán Mares (PhD)
Professor
Gabriel Farfán Mares (PhD in Government, London School of Economics) teaches comparative tax policy in developing countries at Georgetown University and the Inter-American Defense College. He was Budget Director of Mexico City, General Director for Tax and Non-Tax Policy and Adjunct Undersecretary for Fiscal International Affairs at the Mexican Ministry of Finance (SHCP). He often consults the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank (Washington, D.C.) on a variety of fiscal affairs and leads a think tank in Mexico City focused on excise policy.
Current roles:
Former roles:
Research sectors (single author books, chapters, Op-Ed and peer reviewed articles):
Achievements:
Latest research:
✉ gabriel.farfan@iadc.edu
Dr. Albert “Jim” Marckwardt
Professor
Dr. Marckwardt is a scholar-practitioner whose work bridges diplomacy, defense, and academia. He serves as the Professor of Strategy and Defense Policy at the Inter-American Defense College. He is also the Faculty Co-Lead for the Americas and the Founder & Director of the Latin Americas Studies Initiative (LASI) at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he teaches graduate-level courses and directs the regional programming on the Western Hemisphere.
Previously, he served as Associate Professor & Faculty Lead for Institutional Capacity Building at the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU), where he developed and delivered curriculum on defense governance and institutional reform. A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and Foreign Area Officer, Dr. Marckwardt served for over 29 years in a range of policy and security cooperation positions, including as Country Director for Colombia and Venezuela in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. Prior roles include Defense Strategic Intelligence Planner for the Americas at the Defense Intelligence Agency; Political-Military Advisor and Liaison Office Director at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras for Joint Task Force–Bravo; and Senior Leader Engagement Officer for Mexico at U.S. Army North, where he worked closely with Mexico’s SEDENA. He is a graduate of Argentina’s Escuela Superior de Guerra, where he studied strategic studies as an exchange officer.
Earlier in his career, he deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Armor Officer in command and staff roles. While in Iraq, he co-authored the book The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa, the premier tactical primer on counterinsurgency for junior leaders. His research and writing have appeared in Joint Forces Quarterly, Small Wars Journal, and other outlets focused on regional security, institutional reform, and military diplomacy.
Dr. Marckwardt is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins 2024 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award. He holds a Doctor of International Affairs and a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business from Florida International University.
Dr. Tahina Montoya
Professor
Dr. Tahina Montoya is a defense and public policy researcher at RAND Corporation and a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, specializing in national security, security cooperation, and human security.
She has held senior positions within the Department of the Air Force (Pentagon) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, most recently serving as a Senior Advisor in the White House Office of Public Engagement.
She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Dr. Montoya holds a Doctorate in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University.
✉ tahina.montoya@iadc.edu
Colonel (Ret) Edna Teresa Rodríguez Molina
Assistant Professor
Colonel (Ret.) Edna Teresa Rodríguez Molina is a faculty member at the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) in Washington, D.C. She serves as an Assistant Professor for the courses International Relations and the Inter-American System, Multidimensional Security, and Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding. She also contributes to academic activities in hemispheric security and defense, international cooperation, strategic communication, and the education of civilian, military, and police leaders from across the Americas. She is a graduate of IADC Class 62.
Professional Background
She served for 30 years in the Colombian National Police, attaining the rank of Colonel. Her principal leadership positions included Director of Recruitment, Chief of the Office of Internal Control, and Chief of the Office of International Relations and Cooperation, in addition to responsibilities in criminal investigation and institutional management. In 2021, she became the first woman to serve as Chief of Internal Control of the Colombian National Police. She was also affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, where she served as an Advisor to the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
✉ edna.rodriguez@iadc.edu
Colonel Attila Zoltán Balczó de Andrade
Professor
Brazilian Army Infantry Colonel Attila Zoltán Balczó de Andrade serves as a professor at the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) in Washington, D.C., where he is responsible for the Disruptive Technologies and Cybersecurity (DTCS) course and assistant professor of Strategic Planning – Country Studies (SPCS).
He completed the Command and General Staff Course at the Brazilian Army Command and General Staff College and the Joint Staff Course at the Brazilian War College, in addition to several specialization courses in operational and intelligence fields. From 2025 to 2026, he was a member of Class 65 at the Inter-American Defense College, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Hemispheric Defense and Security.
His key assignments in Brazil include command of the Special Border Company in Clevelândia do Norte, Amapá, the 17th Jungle Infantry Company in Porto Velho, Rondônia, and the 5th Air-Assault Infantry Battalion, as well as serving as Chief of Staff of the Air-Assault Infantry Brigade.
His operational experience includes participation in the 5th Contingent of Operation Acolhida during the 2019 Venezuelan migration crisis, as well as operations related to climate emergencies in Brazil in 2008, 2014, and 2023. In the intelligence field, he has held assignments related to force protection and counterintelligence in different military organizations. He also has experience in strategic planning, future scenario development, and crisis management.
Throughout his career, Colonel Balczó served for six years in Brazil’s border regions, including areas bordering French Guiana, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. In the field of international military cooperation, he participated in Exercise Southern Vanguard 22, a historic joint air-assault training exercise between the U.S. Army and the Brazilian Army, involving units such as the 101st Airborne Division and the 5th Air-Assault Infantry Battalion of the Air-Assault Infantry Brigade. He also participated in the preparation and integration of his unit for Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) training rotations in 2023.
During his career, Colonel Balczó has received several military awards and decorations. From the Brazilian Army, these include the Gold Service Medal (30 Years of Service), Gold Troop Corps Medal (more than 20 years of service in troop units), Amazon Service Medal – Two Chestnut Trees (more than five years serving in jungle units), Pacifier Medal (Merit in Service), Silver Command Badge, and Gold Command Badge. From the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, he was awarded the Order of Military Merit – Knight Degree.
Colonel Balczó was promoted to his current rank on April 30, 2023, and assumed his position as a professor at the Inter-American Defense College on July 1, 2026.
LANGUAGES
a. English Proficiency level: Reading “VG”, listening “VG”, speaking “VG” and writing “VG”.
b. Spanish Proficiency level: Reading “VG”, listening “VG”, speaking “VG” and writing “VG”.
c. Portuguese (native).
✉ attila.andrade@iadc.edu
Inigo Guevara
Professor
Inigo Guevara serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Inter American Defense College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.
Based in Washington DC, he is the managing director of strategic services at Janes, a private military intelligence company with 128-year pedigree. In this role, leading a global, cross-functional team of consultants and subject matter experts in the international defense market, supporting government and industry customers worldwide.
From 2010 to 2015 Inigo worked as director of defense and security analysis for CENTRA Technology, where he gained extensive experience in drafting actionable intelligence products as well as delivering tradecraft training.
From 2006, Inigo began to provide advisory support to the Office of the President of Mexico and in 2008 he served as director of analysis in the Office of the National Security Council (STCSN) at the Office of the President of Mexico, where he advised the Mexican government on infrastructure, technology, and equipment options available in the international market. There, Inigo advised and amplified defense market analysis, directed the selection of vital air and land platforms, and conceived the design of an offset-based procurement strategy focusing on indirect offsets to strengthen the broader economy, specifically the blooming supply chain/components-centric aerospace industry.
Prior to this, since 2004, he served as head of statistical analysis at the Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana (SSC) state-level law enforcement agency in Queretaro, Mexico.
Inigo is also adjunct faculty at Georgetown University, where since 2021 he teaches SEST-6592 International Arms Trade, a graduate–level course at the Security Studies Program of the School of Foreign Service. He was awarded the Interamerican Defense Board’s (IADB) medal in 2023 for his work in supporting understanding of regional security issues and in March 2025 Inigo was appointed as Treasurer of the Inter-American Defense College Foundation (IADCF) in Washington D.C.
He is a prolific author, including a series of papers on the Mexican military and US-Mexico military relationship at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, a series of monographs on defense spending in The Western Hemisphere Security Analysis Center (WHEMSAC), and the book Latin American Fighters, a history of fighter jets. He writes the bi-weekly column “Comando y Control” in El Heraldo de Mexico newspaper.
Inigo was born in Mexico City. He holds a master’s in international security from Georgetown University, a bachelor’s in international Trade from the Tec de Monterrey (ITESM) and is a graduate of the William J. Perry Center’s, Strategy and Defense Policy course (SDP 08). He lives in the Washington-DC metro area with his wife and two sons. He speaks Spanish and English.
✉ inigo.guevara@iadc.edu
Lieutenant Colonel Cesar Montenegro Justo
Professor
Cesar Montenegro Justo is a career officer of the Brazilian Army who serves as a Professor of Cybersecurity and Head of Institutional Assessment at the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.
LTC Montenegro most recently served as Military Advisor at the Brazilian Government Cyber Incident Response Center (CTIR Gov), where he worked in cybersecurity incident management, cyber threat analysis, situational awareness, and the coordination of cybersecurity activities within the Brazilian Federal Government. He has more than 27 years of service in the Brazilian Army, including more than a decade of experience in cybersecurity and cyber defense.
Previous assignments include positions at the Brazilian Army Cyber Defense Center and at Brazilian Cyber Defense Command. He was also Professor in the postgraduate program in Information Security and Communications Management at the University of Brasília.
LTC Montenegro holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Military Sciences from Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN), a Master’s Degree in Military Sciences with a specialization in Military Operations from Escola de Aperfeiçoamento de Oficiais (EsAO), and four postgraduate degrees: Information Security and Communications Management from the University of Brasília, Military Intelligence from the Brazilian Army (EsIMEx), Cyber Warfare from the Brazilian Army (CIGE) and Cyber Intelligence from Brazilian Army (EsIMEx/CIGE).
LTC Montenegro has the GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence (GCTI), Cisco CyberOps Associate, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) CERT Incident Response Process Professional certifications.
LTC Montenegro speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish.
✉ cesar.montenegro@iadc.edu
210 B St, Washington, DC 20319
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