*** Conference in Costa Rica, August 2011 ***
Uruguay 2012 The Oriental Republic of Uruguay will be the Host Country of the X Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas in 2012.       Past Conferences Since its creation at Williamsburg in 1995, the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas’ purpose has been to establish a forum to debate themes such as confidence building measures, security, peace keeping operations, civil-military relations and emerging threats.   Participating Countries Thirty four Western Hemisphere Member States’ Ministers of Defense participate in the biennial Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas. The first conference was held in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1995. Since then, seven more conferences have taken place. External Links The CDMA portal serves as a link to Regional and Sub- regional Defense and Security cooperation organizations as the Ministries of Internal Security, Foreign Relations and a host of other organizations related to Defense and Security themes and agendas.
- Conference in costa Rica: August 29-30th, 2011 - X Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas: October-November 2012

CONFERENCE OF DEFENSE MINISTERS OF THE AMERICAS
The Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) was created to provide a valuable forum of debate for the countries of the Hemisphere with the purpose of increasing cooperation in the areas of Defense and Security as outlined in the Williamsburg Principles. Created in 1995, it was designed to provide the Ministers of Defense with a venue to discuss topics such as confidence and security building measures, peace support operations, civil-military relations, and emerging threats such as transnational organized crime and terrorism.

The Member States of the CDMA debated and considered how to best preserve the institutional memory and maintain continuity between the Conferences. The Organization of American States, thru its Inter American Defense Board was designated to accomplish this task.

We hope that this web portal will allow the Defense and Security establishment, Delegates, Observers as well as the general public, to be more informed about the CDMA. It is our goal to provide easy access to important historical documents and links and our hope that it will serve as a tool to provide and maintain continuity for the CDMA.

In support of the CDMA,
Inter American Defense Board,
an entity of the Organization of American States.