Defense

Transatlantic security policy and European defense are among the core topics of the Munich Security Conference. With the Defense Program, the MSC aims to initiate debates on these and other key aspects of global defense and security policy.

About the Defense Program

To reflect the complex international security landscape, all activities of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) are guided by five program areas: Defense, Global Order, Human Security, Sustainability, and Technology. These programs address both conventional issues as well as emerging security concerns and offer the intellectual backbone to all our events and publications. For all five program areas, the MSC is working with renowned partners from around the world.

The global security landscape is changing fast – and not for the better. The risk of peer-to-peer conflict is becoming more acute as great power competition is heating up, crucial arms control and confidence-building regimes are eroding, and regional rivalries are increasingly left unchecked and unresolved. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 fundamentally changed the European security landscape, marking a “Zeitenwende” for Germany and its European partners, but also for other countries around the globe.

The threat matrix is further complicated by the continued rise of non-state actors, the accelerating militarization of domains such as the Arctic, space, and cyberspace, the use of hybrid and proxy tactics, and the race for new technologies with profound implications for warfare and arms control. 

With its Defense Program, the MSC seeks to contribute to and advance the debate around critical aspects of global defense and security policy, including European defense cooperation, the future of NATO, capability development and procurement, as well as the future of warfare, defense innovation, and arms control. To that end, MSC events, publications, and initiatives like the Security Innovation Board aim to facilitate exchanges between decision-makers and experts at the highest level.

Publications

Topics from the Defense Program are regularly covered in the annual Munich Security Report (MSR). Additionally, the MSC regularly publishes Munich Security Briefs and MSR Special Editions on defense issues, most recently "Defense Sitters", a special edition on European Defense.

Defense Sitters — Munich Security Report Special Edition

Bibliographic data: Nicole Koenig, Leonard Schütte, Natalie Knapp, Paula Köhler, Isabell Kump, and Jintro Pauly, “Defense Sitters: Transforming European Militaries in Times of War,” Munich: Munich Security Conference, Special Edition of the Munich Security Report, June 2023, https://doi.org/10.47342/LIHA9331

Defense Sitters — Munich Security Report Special Edition (PDF) - 2 MB

Summits, Roundtables, and other Activities

Defense and security policy issues naturally play an important role at all MSC activities. During the annual flagship conference in Munich, these topics have regularly taken center stage at panel discussions as well as in a growing number of side events.

In addition, the MSC organizes numerous events as part of the Defense Program, which vary in scope and size.

MSC Summits assemble an audience of up to 100 high-profile representatives from government, academia, the military, the private sector and civil society for 24 to 48 hours of open and frank debates with a particular thematic focus. MSC Summits are held on-the-record or under Chatham House rule.

MSC Roundtables bring together an intimate group of up to 35 participants for an interactive debate on a specific security policy challenge. Roundtables are held under Chatham House rule or off-the-record and take place throughout the year, frequently alongside other MSC events, such as the Munich Leaders Meetings and the Munich Security Conference.

MSC Conversations are small, confidential meetings featuring a selected high-level speaker and a group of up to 40 participants, including senior experts, thinkers, and decision-makers. MSC Conversations are typically held under Chatham House rule, but selected events can be open to the public.

Past Events

MSC @ NATO Public Forum (2023)

On July 11 and 12, the Munich Security Conference, together with the Eastern European Studies Centre, the Atlantic Council, the German Marshall Fund, and NATO's Public Diplomacy Division, organized a series of discussions at the NATO Public Forum, which took place on the sidelines of the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius. Following the opening remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, the MSC CEO and Vice-Chairman Benedikt Franke moderated a conversation with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană. As the highlight of the second day, MSC Chairman Christoph Heusgen moderated a conversation with Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor.

Summary 

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