Munich Security Conference

While many write to Santa Claus in December, you reached out to Benedikt Franke — and he responded! 🎅 In this Q&A, Benedikt answers your question, discussing past guests, his dream invitee, and more about the upcoming 61st Munich Security Conference.

10 cities, 35+ speakers, and over 6300 guests on-site or via live stream — that was #Zeitenwende on tour 2024. We were in the north, east, south, and west of Germany and had even a first stop outside Germany. This year showed us once again: We have to continue the conversation as the concerns and debates remain relevant. Elections, military support for Ukraine, compulsory military service — and the question: What is Germany's role in Europe and the world? We brought political decision-makers, security experts, members of media, civil society and the Bundeswehr onto stage to discuss security policy. This led to lively, sometimes heated debates. Since that's what our event series is about, the Zeitenwende will go on tour again in 2025. Until then, here are some impressions of our recent debate in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. ___________________________________________________________________________ 10 Städte, 35+ Speaker:innen und über 6300 Gäste vor Ort oder im Livestream – das war die Zeitenwende on tour 2024. Wir waren im Norden, Osten, Süden und Westen der Republik und darüber hinaus für den ersten Stopp auch außerhalb Deutschlands.   Bei all unseren Veranstaltungen in diesem Jahr wurde wieder deutlich: Wir müssen im Gespräch bleiben, denn die Themen sind noch lange nicht ausdiskutiert. Wahlen, Wehrpflicht, Waffenlieferungen – und über all dem die Frage: Welche Verantwortung trägt Deutschland im eigenen Land, in Europa, in der Welt?   Wir haben Entscheidungsträger:innen der Politik, Sicherheitsexpert:innen, Menschen aus Medien und Zivilgesellschaft sowie Angehörige der Bundeswehr auf die Bühne gebracht, um mit euch über unsere sicherheitspolitische Zukunft zu sprechen. Dabei kam es zu lebhaften, teils hitzigen Debatten. Aber genau dafür gibt es diese Veranstaltungsreihe! Deswegen geht die Zeitenwende 2025 wieder auf Tour – bestimmt auch in deiner Nähe. Bis dahin haben wir hier einige Eindrücke von unserer Zeitenwende-Veranstaltung in Gelsenkirchen gesammelt.

🗨️ We are sitting down with Benedikt Franke to ask him your questions! With only two months to go, the preparations for our main conference in February are in full swing — take the chance to catch our busy CEO before his calendar is crammed and his ringing phone interrupts every video recording. ❔ Feel free to ask us anything you want to know about #MSC2025, Valentine's Day tips for Munich next year, or beyond. Comment below or use our Instagram story sticker!

💡 Were we able to unLACk potential? Last month, we hosted a Munich Leaders Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, right after the G20 Summit, to discuss how to unlock potential for cooperation between Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, the US, and beyond. 📚 If you want to know more than our 5 key takeaways of #MLMRio, visit our website to read the full report!

Our #Zeitenwende on tour series has reached its 30th event! For the past two years, we’ve traveled across Germany, discussing the future of German security policy with citizens in their hometowns. 🏘️   These events unite politicians, experts, and the public to talk about the Bundeswehr, NATO, the EU, and issues like disinformation or societal polarization — all while fostering a respectful dialogue.   We collected some impressions from our stop in Gelsenkirchen. 🎥   And if you live near Pforzheim, don't miss our next stop there! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eFgDW54S

Zwischen Weihnachtsmarkt, Weinbergen und mehr als 1000 Jahren Stadtgeschichte – die #Zeitenwende on tour war in #Naumburg.   Mit dabei waren dieses mal Ljudmyla Melnyk, Programmleitung Ukraine des Institut für Europäische Politik e.V., Sarah Frühauf, Korrespondentin im ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Marc Rath, Chefredakteur der Mitteldeutschen Zeitung und der Volksstimme, Christoph Heusgen, Vorsitzender der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz – und natürlich die Bürger:innen aus Naumburg. Moderiert hat den Abend Lisa-Martina Klein von Table.Briefings.   Die #Zeitenwende Veranstaltungen stehen für offenen Dialog – deswegen haben wir auch spontan eine Gruppe Bürger:innen eingeladen, die vor Beginn des Townhall-Events mit Statements zu Krieg und Frieden gegen unsere Veranstaltung protestiert hatte.   Der Krieg gegen die Ukraine war das prägende Thema des Abends. Unser Vorsitzender, Christoph Heusgen, gab den Rahmen schon in seinen Eröffnungsworten: „Heute vor 30 Jahren hat die Ukraine das Budapester Memorandum unterschrieben – Verzicht auf Atomwaffen für territoriale Integrität. 30 Jahre später sagen die Verantwortlichen, hätten wir das doch nicht gemacht.“   Auch in den Fragen der Bürger:innen sowie den Statements unserer Gäste war der Themenkomplex "Ukrainekrieg", Russland und Skepsis gegenüber journalistischen Medien vorherrschend:  💬 "Ich sehe eine riesige Gefahr, dass dieser Konflikt eskaliert, wenn wir jetzt noch mehr Waffen in die Ukraine schicken, und das macht mir unglaublich Angst" – eine Bürgerin aus Naumburg.  💬 "Wir erleben in der Debatte um Krieg und Frieden eine große Polarisierung. Die etablierten Parteien haben diese Ängste der Menschen lange nicht ernst genug genommen." – Sarah Frühauf, Korrespondentin im ARD-Hauptstadtstudio.   Wer mit diskutieren möchte, hat sogar dieses Jahr noch eine Chance: Nächste Woche, am 10. Dezember, geht es für die Zeitenwende on tour nach Pforzheim. Die Anmeldung ist über unsere Website möglich: https://lnkd.in/eFgDW54S

⏰ Final Reminder: John McCain Dissertation Award   Have you poured countless of hours into your research, successfully defended your work, and want to present your findings at #MSC2025?   📆 Apply by December 20, 2024, for a chance to win an award for your thesis: https://lnkd.in/eMaGGDiB

🐬 Dolphins in the Oslo Fjord as part of an interview about international security? On the sidelines of the Munich Strategy Retreat at Schloss Elmau, our future Chair Jens Stoltenberg sat down for two interviews. And apparently, these days he occasionally gets on a small boat and goes out on the Oslo Fjord — where he spotted some dolphins the other day. Curious to know what else he shared with the journalists from Handelsblatt and Table.Briefings? We got you covered with a small overview. With Handelsblatt’s Moritz Koch, Stoltenberg talked about negotiation opportunities in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the logic of deterrence and the global context of war in Europe: https://lnkd.in/dcy6BUmN 🎙️ “Putin is paying a high price for his aggression. We cannot change Putin and his strategic goal, which remains the subjugation of Ukraine. But we can change his calculations. If the price he has to pay for controlling Ukraine becomes too high, we can force him to agree to a deal that preserves Ukrainian sovereignty and independence.” 🎙️ “The war in Ukraine has global consequences and proves that security must be thought of globally rather than regionally. (…) What happens in Europe has an impact on Asia. And what happens in Asia has consequences for Europe. We therefore cannot look at Europe’s security separately from security in Asia.” With Table.Briefings’ Wilhelmine Preußen, Stoltenberg addressed transatlantic relations, Russian acts of sabotage in Europe and the question of continuing support for Ukraine: https://lnkd.in/dy7Rw9Sx 🎙️ “In the current security environment, 2% is not enough, so we need to do even more. This is not because President Trump might ask us to do more. It’s because Europeans have to do more, because it is expensive to live in a continent where there’s a full-fledged war.” 🎙️ “The challenge is to end the war in a way where Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation. And the only way to achieve that is to convince President Putin that he will not win on the battlefield. He has to sit down and accept some kind of solution where Ukraine continues to be an independent, sovereign nation.”

🇧🇷 Did you know that Brazil is feeding the world? It produces enough food for 11% of the global population.   🌱At #MLMRio, Amadée Mudie-Mantz explained why the Latin American country matters for food, trade and security. As food security is not only a humanitarian issue, but also a security concern, we launched the MSC Food Security Task Force at #MSC2024.   Currently, our task force members meet in Rome to discuss cross-sector solutions and develop action-oriented strategies for more #FoodSecurity.

From Sunnylands, California to Rome... 🌾 This week, we are hosting Roundtables in #Rome with our #FoodSecurity Task Force to find sustainable solutions to fight food insecurity.   Why Rome? Rome is the hub for all things food security. Since 1905, when the first organization to produce and exchange global data on food insecurity was founded with support of the Italian government, Rome has remained central to global food security efforts. The International Institute of Agriculture (IIA), established in 1905, was absorbed by the FAO after WWII. Today, Rome hosts key UN agencies dedicated to global food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural development: the World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and FAO.   At our debates, we aim to address: 🔹 Food weaponization: Identifying and preventing different types. 🔹 Sector functions: Enhancing contributions and collaboration between different sectors to fight food insecurity. 🔹 Cooperation: Maximizing results and minimizing duplication among organizations like WFP, FAO, and the World Bank.