José Manuel Ugarte is a lawyer, specialist in Administrative Law, and Doctor of Law from the University of Buenos Aires, where he currently works as a consulting professor in undergraduate and graduate studies. He has served for twenty-five years (1984-2009) as an advisor to the Argentine Congress, co-drafting the Laws on National Defense and Internal Security and other laws and bills on defense and security issues.

Likewise, José Manuel Ugarte has co-edited with David Pion-Berlin (2013) "Organization of Defense and Civil Control of the Armed Forces in Latin America, and with Bertha García Gallegos,  "The macro and micro challenges of security in democracy. PUCE Publications Center, Quito He has also published the books "Intelligence Activity and Democracy in Latin America" (Editorial Académica Española, Saarbrucken, 2013), "Public Control of Intelligence Activity in Latin America]" (2012, CICCUS, Buenos Aires); "The legal concepts of Security and Defense", Buenos Aires, Plus Ultra, 2004 2013; "Intelligence Legislation, WOLA-SEDEM, Guatemala City, 2000), and "Internal Security" FAI, Buenos Aires  1990.

Bertha García Gallegos has a Master's  Degree from CEPES/CLACSO and a Doctorate in Social Sciences with a specialization in Sociology from El Colegio de México and is a Professor Emeritus of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. She has directed many research projects, and published chapters of books and articles in specialized journals. Also, edited the book "Economy and Politics in Ecuador in the seventies: the beginning 'The Oil Mirage' (PUCE, 2024), also with Sonia Alda Mejías "The State in Latin America under siege by organized crime" PUCE, Quito (2022), and with José Manuel Ugarte, "The macro and micro challenges of security in democracy." PUCE Publications Center, Quito, 2018 -  She is also professor emeritus and has been Dean and Deputy Dean and Dean in Charge of the Faculty of Human Sciences of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) (1992-1993). She is also Director of the Democracy, Security and Defense Program at PUCE, whose Bulletin permanently disseminates articles and ideas on this topic.