Program

Living on the Edge

2026

February 13th 2026

09:15 - 09:45

Arrival and Registration with ID

09:45 - 09:50

Welcome Words:

Frederik Fink, MunichYoungForum

Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser, Rector, Hochschule für Politik München

09:50 - 10:00

Opening Statement: Karl von Rohr, Board Member, Hertie Foundation

10:00 - 10:15

Nadine Timm, KNDS, Head of Government Relations and Director of the Berlin Representative Office

Report - "Ukraine From the Frontline to the Factory"

10:15 - 11:15

Moderator: Katja Gloger, Journalist and Author of "Das versagen: Eine investigative Geschichte der deutschen Russlandpolitik"

Dr. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukašvica, Parliamentary Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Latvia

Lieutenant General Dr. Christian Freuding, Chief of Army Federal Armed Forces, Germany

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, presently the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow at Stanford Uni.

Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defense, Republic of Estonia

Topic - "Europe's Eastern Flank in the Shadow of Russia"

11:15 - 11:30

Coffee Break

11:30 - 12:30

Moderator: Eric G. Nelson, U.S. Ambassador (ret.)

Natalia Oropeza, Siemens, Global Chief of Cybersecurity Officer

Dr. Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration

Fireside Chat - "Europe's Inner Security & Crisis Prevention: What does it take?"

12:30 - 13:30

Buffet Lunch

13:30 - 14:30

Moderator: Jamil Anderlini, POLITICO Europe, Regional Director

Mirko Holzer, SPRIND, Deputy Director for AI & Robotics, German Federal Agency for Breakthrough Technologies

Dimitrios Kottas, start-up Delian Alliance Industries, Founder & CEO

André Loesekrug-Pietri, JEDI, Chair, Joint European Disruptive Initiative

Rafael P. Sperling, KNDS, Head of Autonomous Systems/Robotics

Topic - "Fueling Europe's AI Innovation and Defense Speed-Up"

14:30 - 15:00

Dr. Christian Hagemann, Southeast European Association, Executive Director

Polling Results: Interactive Discussion with Dr. Christian Hagemann and the Audience

15:00 - 16:00

Moderator: Juliana Süß, SWP, Project STAND (Strategic Threat Analysis and Nuclear (Dis-)Order), Research Group International Security

Andrea Rotter, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Head of Foreign and Security Policy Division, Academy for Politics and Current Affairs

Major General Michael Traut, Commander of the German Space Command

Topic - "Space Rivalry"

16:00 - 16:05

Closing Statement: Frederik Fink, MunichYoungForum

16:05 - 16:30

Interact

16:30

End

MSC Side Event 2026

Speakers

9:45 – 9:50 Welcome Words: Frederik Fink is a graduate in History and International Relations from King’s College London, with a concentration in transatlantic foreign and security policy. He has interned at the American-German Institute, focusing on and publishing on German grand strategy, as well as conducting research on transatlantic foreign and security policy. He additionally interned at the NATO Innovation Fund and worked at the Munich Security Conference, assisting in bilateral meetings. In 2023, he participated in voluntary humanitarian assistance, delivering aid to Western Ukraine. Frederik assisted in organizing the MunichYoungForum.

9:45 – 9:50 Welcome Words: Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser serves as Rector of the Munich School of Politics
and Public Policy (Hochschule für Politik München) and Dean of the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology and is Professor of Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology and School of Social Sciences and Technology. His research focuses on the societal and regulatory implications of new technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. From 2009 to 2021, he acted as Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and from 2013 Professor of Practice at the Harvard Law School and held a SNSF funding professorship at University of St Gallen.

9:50 – 10:00 Opening Statement: Karl von Rohr is a member of the Management Board of the „Gemeinnützige Hertie Stiftung“, a German Foundation that - among other themes - is working on a multitude of projects directed to strengthening democracy. Karl is also a non-executive member of multiple Company Boards in different industries, ranging from Pharma over Chemical Distribution and Renewables to Software and Financial Services. Prior to his non-executive career Karl was a Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank AG for almost a decade and its deputy CEO for 5 years.

10:00 – 10:15 Nadine Timm is Head of Government Relations and Director of the Berlin Representative Office at KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG. In this role, she oversees the company’s engagement with political institutions and key stakeholders at the federal level, drawing on many years of experience at the intersection of industry, government, and security policy. Prior to assuming her current position in 2024, Nadine Timm led the Berlin Representative Office of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann for over a decade, where she played a central role in shaping strategic dialogue with policymakers. Earlier in her career, she served as Personal Assistant to the CEO of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and gained valuable project management experience at Coca-Cola GmbH in Berlin. She is a member of the Presidium of the Förderkreis Deutsches Heer e.V. and has completed several security-policy training programs, including the Seminar for Security Policy at the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS). Nadine Timm holds a Master of Arts in North American Studies, Sociology, and Political Science from Humboldt University of Berlin.

10:15 – 11:15 Moderator: Katja Gloger studied Eastern European History, Politics, and Slavic Studies in Hamburg and Moscow with a scholarship of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. Gloger trained her journalistic skills at the German School of Journalism in Munich and with ARD television in Cologne. After joining the weekly Stern in 1989, she headed the Moscow bureau. She witnessed the end of the Soviet Union and the rise of a new Russia during the tumultuous 90s. She interviewed Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and portrayed Vladimir Putin, being the first Western journalist to accompany him for several months. The award- winning political journalist and author was head of Stern’s foreign desk and Senior Political Correspondent to Washington, D.C. Her book “Putin’s World”, an analysis of Russia’s domestic and foreign policy, is regarded as an early benchmark book on the rise of Putinism. Her latest bestseller, written with her husband and award- winning investigative journalist Georg Mascolo, is called: “The Failure: An Investigative History of German Russia Policy.” MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger commented: “A comprehensive critical examination of German Russia policy over the past decades was long overdue. ‘The Failure’ brilliantly fills that gap (...) Absolutely essential reading.” Katja Gloger lives and works in Berlin.

10:15 – 11:15 Dr. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica is Deputy Speaker of the Latvia’s Parliament since 2022. She is an active member of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and European Affairs and leads the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where she chairs the Monitoring Committee and serves as Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP). She also serves as Rapporteur of the Assembly on “Foreign Interference: a threat to democratic security in Europe.” Her international leadership includes serving as a Council Member of the ECFR and as a Member of the Board of Trustees of Friends of Europe. From 2014 to 2022, Kalniņa-Lukaševica was Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing Latvia at EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings. From 2011 to 2014, she chaired the parliament’s European Affairs Committee, and from 2008 to 2011 served as Strategic Analysis Adviser to the Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. She holds a PhD in Management Science and an MA in Public Administration from the University of Latvia, where she also lectures on the European Union’s foreign affairs.

10:15 – 11:15 Lieutenant General Dr. Christian Freuding is the Chief of the Army of Germany‘s Federal Armed Forces since October 2025. Previously, he served as Head of the Joint Planning and Command
Staff at the Federal Ministry of Defense (2023–2025) and as Director of the Ministry’s Ukraine Special Staff (2022–2023). From 2019 to 2022, he commanded the 9th Armored Brigade and held senior staff positions, including Senior Military Assistant to the Defense Minister. With over three decades of experience, he served as Battalion Commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion 3 in Lüneburg. He was promoted to Major General in 2023 and Lieutenant General in 2025. His operational deployments include Bosnia and Herzegovina with SFOR (2002) and Afghanistan with International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), 2007-2008. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the Helmut Schmidt University and completed an Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Joint Service Command and Staff College in Shrivenham.

10:15 – 11:15 Gabrielius Landsbergis is the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow at Stanford University. He served as Lithuania‘s Foreign Minister from 2020 to 2024 and was Chairman of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats from 2015 to 2024. Between 2014 and 2016, he was a Member of the European Parliament and served on the Committee on International Trade, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense. Before his political career, Landsbergis worked in Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Government. He holds degrees from the University Vilnius.

10:15 – 11:15 Hanno Pevkur is Minister of Defense of the Republic of Estonia since 2022. From 2016 to 2022, he was a member of the Estonian Parliament and previously held several senior
cabinet positions in the 13th and 14th Estonian Parliaments (Riigikogu), including Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Social Affairs. Trained as a lawyer, he began his career in the Nõmme District Administration Board in Tallinn (2000–2005), serving first as an administrative secretary and later as district elder. From 2005 to 2007, he was a member of the Tallinn City Council, chair of the Nõmme District Administrative Board, and an adviser to the Minister of Justice. He served in the 11th Estonian Parliament from 2007 to 2009.

Short Break 11:15 – 11:30

11:30 – 12:30 Moderator: Eric G. Nelson recently completed 36 years in the U.S. diplomatic service, including as Associate Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch- Partenkirchen, Germany (2022-24) and as the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) (2019- 2022). Eric is currently active as a non-Executive Director of global NGOs TechSoup and the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and as a member of other advisory and editorial boards.

11:15 – 12:30 Natalia Oropeza is the Global Chief Cybersecurity Officer and Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Officer at Siemens. With more than 30 years of experience in information technology, she leads a global cybersecurity organization of over 1,300 experts, overseeing the protection of Siemens’ infrastructure (IT/OT), products, solutions, and digital services. Since 2023, she has also served as Chairwoman of the Charter of Trust, an international alliance promoting cybersecurity and digital trust. Born in Puebla, Mexico, Natalia Oropeza holds an Electronic Engineering degree from Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, and an MBA
in Finance. Her career began at Volkswagen Mexico, followed by a series of leadership roles in Germany, ultimately becoming Chief Information Security Officer for the entire Volkswagen Group, where she led its largest IT transformation program. She has lived in Germany since 2006 and is currently based in Munich.

11:30 – 12:30 Dr. Magnus Brunner is the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, a position he has held since December 1, 2024. In this role, he is responsible for strengthening internal security, designing and implementing Migration and Asylum policies, enforcing integrated border management, and leading the dialogue with religious and philosophical associations. Prior to his current role, Mr. Brunner served as Austria‘s Federal Minister of Finance from December 2021 to November 2024. He also held the position of State Secretary in the Ministry of Climate Action, Energy, Environment, Mobility Innovation, and Technology from January 2020 to December 2021. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the Federal Council for the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) from May 2009 to January 2020. Mr. Brunner holds a Doctor of Law degree from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from King‘s College London. He was born and raised in the region of Vorarlberg, Austria.

12:30 – 13:30 Buffet Lunch

13:30 – 14:30 Moderator: Jamil Anderlini is Regional Director of POLITICO Europe, overseeing all business operations of the publication in Europe. Previously, he was Editor-in-Chief of POLITICO Europe. He joined
the publication after working for The Financial Times (FT), where he was Chief Editor for Asia since 2019. He joined the FT in 2007 and worked as the Beijing Correspondent and Deputy Beijing Bureau Chief before being named Bureau Chief in 2011, with overall responsibility for China coverage at the FT. Prior to joining the FT, he was Beijing Business Correspondent for the South China Morning Post for two years. Before that, he was Chief

Editor of the China Economic Review. Jamil Anderlini is the recipient of various prestigious journalism awards and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2013. Anderlini holds a post- graduate diploma in Journalism from Auckland University of Technology, and a BA in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

13:30 – 14:30 Mirko Holzer is Deputy Director AI & Robotics at SPRIND, Germany‘s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation. Computer scientist by training, serial entrepreneur by track record. Over 25 years, he co-founded and scaled multiple tech companies—including Uptempo, an enterprise SaaS platform that put AI into marketing operations before it was fashionable—through a major exit to US investors and transatlantic expansion out of Austin. At SPRIND since late 2024, he‘s now focused on ensuring Europe doesn‘t just consume frontier AI but builds it.

13:30 – 14:30 Dimitrios Kottas is founder and CEO of Delian Alliance Industries, a defense-tech company based in Athens and London that builds autonomous maritime surveillance and counter-drone solutions. After research on GPS-denied navigation (1,600+ citations) and work in Apple’s Special Projects Group on sensor fusion for mobile robots, Dimitrios returned to Europe in 2021 to launch Delian. The company has raised $22M and deploys autonomous surveillance towers with the Hellenic Armed Forces for EU border protection and maritime surveillance, and with Civil Protection for early fire detection, expanding sovereign area-denial capabilities internationally.

13:30 – 14:30 André Loesekrug-Pietri, a German and French national, has held senior positions in private equity, industry, as an entrepreneur, and in a ministerial office. He began his career as assistant to the CEO of Aerospatiale-Airbus, then spent 15 years managing several investment and venture capital funds. In 2017, he joined the public sector as Special Advisor to the Minister of the Armed Forces, with particular responsibility for European defense policy and technological sovereignty. He is currently President and Scientific Director of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI), a precursor to a European agency for advanced research (ARPA), which brings together more than 6,500 leading scientists, founders of deep tech startups, and industrialists from 30 European countries to accelerate European leadership in technology in the fields of energy, life sciences, space, and computing. A graduate of HEC, Harvard Kennedy School, and former auditor at IHEDN and Sup‘Aéro, he is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a reserve colonel in the French Air and Space Force, and a private pilot. He is also a member of the Security Innovation Board of the Munich Security Conference and the Steering Committee of the Saarland State‘s €3 billion Transformation Fund. He is an independent director of Ubisoft SA, listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

13:30 – 14:30 Rafael P. Sperling is Head of Autonomous Systems and Robotics at KNDS Deutschland, where he leads the development of advanced autonomous and robotic capabilities for land systems. His work focuses on robotics, unmanned and optionally manned systems (UxV), manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), cross-domain operations, multi-agent systems, and the creation of a shared virtual information space, with a strong emphasis on innovation and disruptive technologies. Prior to joining KNDS, he served as Innovation Manager at Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles in Vienna, driving forward-looking concepts and technologies in the defense domain. Earlier in his career, he held several engineering positions in the automotive industry at MAGNA Powertrain / Engineering Center Steyr and Bosch Diesel Systems, most recently as Vehicle Systems Architect. Rafael P. Sperling holds academic degrees in Mechanical Engineering/Fahrzeugtechnik and Mechatronics.

14:30 – 15:00 Dr. Christian Hagemann is Executive Director of the Southeast Europe Association (Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft, SOG). In this capacity, he is regularly involved in the conceptualization and organization of international conferences and workshops dealing with issues like political stability, EU enlargement, or sustainability. He is also co-host of the podcast „Südostwärts“ focusing on developments in the region. Christian has studied Political Science, Communication Science, and Law in Munich, Münster, and Cluj-Napoca/Romania. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the LMU Munich for his research on EU funds in the post-communist space, and has worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Substitute Professor for Policy Analysis at the Bavarian School of Public Policy in Munich.

15:00 – 16:00 Moderator: Juliana Süß is an Associate with the STAND Project (Strategic Threat Analysis and Nuclear (Dis-)Order) within the Research Group International Security at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), where she researches space security, deterrence, and arms control. She is a current PhD Student in War Studies at King’s College London and also the host of the podcast War in Space, which discusses the intersection of international security and space. Juliana is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where she was previously Research Fellow for Space Security.

15:00 – 16:00 Andrea Rotter is Deputy Director of the Academy for Politics and Current Affairs at the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSS), where she leads the Division for Foreign and Security Policy. Since July 2025,
she has also been a Non-Resident Fellow at the American-German Institute (AGI) in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on transatlantic security, German and European defense policy, and the impact of disruptive technologies, especially in space security. She is responsible for HSS NEXUS, the Foundation’s Young Leaders Program for Security and Defense Policy and heads the Munich chapter of Women in International Security (WIIS). Prior to joining HSS, Rotter worked at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)
in Berlin and taught International Relations at Regensburg University. She has participated in several prominent security policy programs, including the Manfred Wörner Seminar, a GMF-AGI visiting fellowship, the BAKS Young Leaders Program, and the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the U.S. Department of State.

15:30 – 16:30 Major General Michael Traut is Commander of the German Space Command. He joined the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) as a conscript in 1983 and received his initial officer training at German Air Force Officer School in Fürstenfeldbruck. He studied computer science at the University of the German Armed Forces Munich (Universität der Bundeswehr München) and was assigned to numerous postings, first as a system administrator and programmer and later within NATO’s Integrated Air Defense System as an aircraft controller. He later obtained all operational qualifications for tactical air battle management. Major General Traut served in numerous senior positions in the German Air Force, the Joint Support Service Headquarters, and the Ministry of Defense. He took command of Operational Air Wing Mazar-e-Sharif/Afghanistan in 2007 and served as Commandant of the German Air Force Officer School between 2016 and 2020. In 2021, he served as Director of National Air Operations until 2023, while simultaneously taking command of the emerging German Space Command. Major General Traut is a graduate of Bundeswehr Command and Staff College Hamburg, Joint Services Command and Staff College Bracknell, and Royal College of Defense Studies London.

Fragmented West: A World of Daunting Challenges –Demanding New Responses Fast!

2025

MSC Side Event 2025

Global security is becoming increasingly challenging and complex, requiring urgent and innovative responses. This side event brings together influential speakers from politics, cybersecurity, defense, and human rights to explore pressing geopolitical and technological challenges. Discussions will focus on the dual impact of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity, the future of transatlantic security with a reduced U.S. presence, and Europe’s ability to strengthen its defense capabilities through emerging technologies. Top military officials, technology executives, and policymakers will provide insights on how democratic values can be safeguarded amid rising cyber threats, disinformation, and geopolitical fragmentation. The agenda also addresses migration policies, human rights, and the fragility of liberal democracies in an era of increasing global disruption. The event culminates in interactive discussions designed to foster strategic thinking and collaboration among participants, encouraging new ideas for addressing the evolving security landscape.

08:45 - 09:15

ARRIVAL Registration with ID

09:15 - 09:20

Welcome Words: Dr Benedikt Franke, Deputy Chairman and CEO Munich Security Conference

09:20 - 09:30

Opening Statements: Erik Beißwenger Bavarian State Minister for Europe & Foreign Affairs

09:30 - 10:15

Moderator: Dr Claus Kleber, TV journalist, former anchor and editor ZDF heute-journal, author, & documentary filmmaker

Sandra Joyce, Vice-President Google Threat Intelligence, Google
Dr Bernd Pichlmayer, CEO, FTGG Cyber

Topic – Who Wields the Double - Edged Sword (of AI) in Cyber Security?

10:15 - 11:00

Eva Maydell, EU MP, Vice -Chair, Delegation for US Relations, Lead Negotiator on EU AI Act & EU Chips Act
Prof Dr Gjergji Kasneci, Technical Uni Munich, Vice Dean Information Officer

Damian von Boeselager, EU MP, Co-Founder, Volt

Topic - Dawn of the Mind-Twisters – Will Musk-AI and X-Bubbles Sink Defense Readiness and Democratic Values?

11:00 -11:15

Short Break

11:15 - 12:30

General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, (SACEUR) - NATO
René Obermann, Chairman of the Board, Airbus
Dr Gundbert Scherf, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Helsing
Susanne Wiegand former CEO, Renk

Topic - Wake Up Calls Passed– How Europe Will Rise (to the Challenge)? Closer Look at Future Technologies in Warfare and Deterrence

12:30 - 13:30

Buffet Lunch, tables for open seating and tables for standing

13:30 - 14:30

Moderator: Dr Jan Stöckmann, DGAP, German Council on Foreign Relations

Ambassador Julianne Smith, former US Permanent Representative to NATO and Senior Advisor to US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken
Prof Dr Marina Henke, Professor of International Relations, Director, Centre for International Security, Hertie School, Berlin

Topic - Transatlantic Security with Less USA

14:30 - 15:30

Live Stream Conference Hall Main Stage

15:30 - 16:30

Kimberly Marteau Emerson, Vice Chair of Board of Directors Human Rights Watch
Gerald Knaus, Researcher on Migration, Author, Co-Founding Member of ECFR, the European Council on Foreign Relations, founding Chairman of ESI, European Stability Initiative

Topic – World in Disruption: Walls versus Open Doors--Fears, Migration, Human Rights, and the Fragility of Liberal Democracy

16:30 - 16:35

Closing statement

16:35 - 17:00

Interact: “Inspirational ideas through engagement with one another”!

17:00 -

End of Munich Security Conference Side Event 2025

Program

February 14th 2025

MSC Side Event 2025

Speakers

9:15 – 9:20 Welcome Words: Dr. Benedikt Franke is Deputy Chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Before joining the MSC, he was the CSU state leadership's representative for strategic issues and before that, personal assistant to former United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Prize winner Kofi Annan. Benedikt Franke holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He regularly publishes on foreign and security policy issues and sits on a number of relevant committees such as the Board of Trustees of the International Charlemagne Prize Committee and the International Commission of the CSU. In his (limited) free time, he is active as a special ambassador for the Sovereign Order of Malta.

9:20 – 9:30 Opening Statement: Minister Eric Beißwenger is the Bavarian State Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. He has been in this position since November 8, 2023. In this role, he coordinates Bavaria's European policy and is based in Munich and Brussels. He cultivates Bavaria's international relations and represents Bavarian interests in key policy areas. He has been a member of the Bavarian State Parliament since October 2013 and was previously Deputy Chairman of the Committee for the Environment and Consumer Protection. Mr Beißwenger is a trained banker and farmer.

09:30 – 10:15 and 10:15 - 11:15 and 11:15 – 12:30 – Moderator: Dr. Claus Kleber is a TV-Journalist. In Germany, he is best known for almost 20 years as the editor and principal anchor of “ZDF heute-journal”, the dominant in-depth news program in Germany. Before that, from 1986-2002, he worked as a foreign correspondent and later bureau-chief of ARD German TV in the United States. He reported from all 50 states and interviewed all US-Presidents from George H.W. Bush to Barack Obama, as well as principal members of their cabinets. He retired from being a news-anchor at the end of 2021. He continues his work as an author and documentary filmmaker with an emphasis on global security issues.

09:30 – 10:15 - Sandra Joyce is a cybersecurity leader with 26 years of intelligence experience. She leads Google Threat Intelligence Group as their Vice President and joined Google in 2022 following Google’s acquisition of Mandiant, which she also headed as Executive Vice President of Mandiant Intelligence. Mrs Joyce is a board member at Crane Nxt, a U.S. Air Force Reserve officer, and serves on the Board of Visitors at the National Intelligence University. She is a member of the Aspen Institute Cybersecurity Working Group, the Silverado Policy Accelerator’s strategic council, and the Institute for Security and Technology’s Ransomware Task Force Steering Committee. Mrs Joyce is a visiting fellow at the National Security Institute and an Alperovitch Institute fellow, pursuing her PhD at Johns Hopkins University. Mrs Joyce has an MBA from MIT and holds four additional master’s degrees.

09:30 – 10:15 - Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer is the founder and CEO of FTGG Cyber a strategic advisory firm specializing in cybersecurity. Previously, he served as the Cybersecurity Advisor to the Federal Chancellor of Austria, where he coordinated federal cybersecurity policies at the political level and represented Austria in international cybersecurity forums. Dr. Pichlmayer holds a PhD in Law from the University of Vienna and an Executive Master of Business Law (E.M.B.L.-HSG) from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

10:15- 11:00 Dr Claus Kleber

10:15 – 11:00 Eva Maydell is Vice-Chairwoman of the Delegation for US Relations and Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, EPP Parliamentary Group, European Parliament, Brussels. Mrs Maydell sits within the largest EU political group, the European People’s Party. Recently re-elected for a third term, she is a Member of the parliament's Industry Committee, Economic Affairs Committee, and Deputy Spokesperson for her political group on industry related matters. Mrs Maydell was one of the lead negotiators on the EU's Chips Act and Artificial Intelligence Act. Her policy priorities include innovation and the use of new technologies to support European competitiveness and fostering cooperation among global likeminded partners in the tech and democracy space. She is also a Vice President of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the United States. Mrs Maydell is also a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader, and a Board Member for the World Economic Forum's Digital Europe program, and a Member of the WEF Global Future Council of Europe. She is also the co-founder of the Council on the Future. Mrs Maydell has been awarded the European Parliament's MEP of the Year Award twice. She graduated from the American University John Cabot in Rome and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

10:15-11:00 - Prof Dr Gjergji Kasneci is a distinguished academic and industry leader in data science and artificial intelligence. He acts as Professor of Responsible Data Science at the Technical University of Munich, where he also serves as Vice Dean Information Officer and Founder of AI in Finance at TUM. His work centers on advancing transparency, robustness, fairness, and ethical considerations in artificial intelligence, ensuring its responsible application for societal benefit. With a PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Informatics at the University of Saarland, and multiple impactful research roles at Microsoft Research, the Hasso Plattner Institute, and as the Chief Technology Officer of SCHUFA Holding AG, Prof. Dr Kasneci has a proven track record of excellence in academia, research, and innovation. His groundbreaking research has garnered prestigious awards, such as the Seoul Test of Time Award, and substantial funding for AI and data science projects. As a Fellow of the Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in Reliable AI and a core member of the Munich Data Science Institute, Prof.Dr Kasneci continues to shape the discourse on responsible and scalable AI.

10:15 - 11:00 - Damian von Böselager is a Member of the European Parliament. He holds degrees in Philosophy & Economics from University of Bayreuth and a dual-Master in Public Administration from the Hertie School of Governance and Columbia University's SIPA in New York City. Mr von Böselager co-founded Volt - a pan-European, progressive and pragmatic Europe-wide movement with the aim of reforming the European continent. In the European Parliament, Mr von Böselager is the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the delegation leader of the 5 Volt MEPs. He focuses on creating a real European parliamentary democracy, creating the framework for a competitive and innovative European economy with a focus on data policy and AI, establishing paths for legal migration, setting up a common, fair and fast European asylum system, and ensuring that the EU works for all via budgetary stability measures. He is also part of the EU-Canada and UK Delegations.

Short Break 11:00-11:15

11:15-12:30 - Dr Claus Kleber

11:15 – 12:30 - General Christopher G. Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO, Mons. General Cavoli assumed duties as Commander of the US European Command and as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) in July 2022. General Cavoli previously served as Commander of the Consolidated US Army Europe and Africa from Oct. 2020 until 2022. From Jan. 2018 until the consolidation, he served as the Commander of US Army Europe. Commissioned into the Infantry in 1987, General Cavoli has held a variety of positions throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. He has also served as the Deputy Commander of Regional Command West Herat, Afghanistan, and as Deputy General for Operations at the 82nd Airborne Division. His staff experience includes Director for Russia on the Joint Staff, Deputy Executive Ass. For the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Director of the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Coordination Group. General Cavoli held fellowships at the National Defense Uni, the George C. Marshall Center and the Army Chief of Staff’s Strategic Studies Group. He is a foreign Area Officer with a focus on Eurasia. General Cavoli holds degrees from Princeton and Yale University.

11:15 – 12:30 - René Obermann is the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Airbus SE and Chairman of Europe, Warburg Pincus. He previously served as non-executive Director of Inmarsat and on various company boards including E.On, Spotify and Telenor. From 2006 – 2013 he was CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG. He joined the Group as Managing Director of T-Mobile Germany in 1998 and was promoted to run its mobile division “T-Mobile International” between 2002 and 2006. Mr. Obermann began his career whilst at the University of Münster in 1986 when he founded a distribution company for telecommunication services and equipment, which was acquired by Hutchison Whampoa in 1991. He remained as Managing Partner and served as CEO between 1993 and 1998. Under his leadership the company became one of the first virtual mobile network operators (MVNO) in Germany. In 2013 Mr Obermann was awarded the Ben-Gurion medal at Beer Sheva University, Israel, for visionary leadership. In the same year he was also appointed Officer of the French Légion d’honneur.”

11:15– 12:30 - Dr. Gundbert Scherf is the co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing. Helsing is a deep tech company in the security and defense sector. Before founding Helsing, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he oversaw the aerospace and defense sectors as well as parts of the technology sector. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Scherf worked as a special representative in the German Federal Ministry of Defense. A committed European, Dr. Scherf completed graduate and post-graduate studies at the University of Cambridge (Marie Curie Fellow), the Free University of Berlin, and Sciences Po Paris.

11:15 – 12:30 - Susanne Wiegand is Chief Executive Officer RENK Group AG. Mrs. Wiegand holds a degree in business administration from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University in Frankfurt. She started her career in 1996 at Diebold Deutschland GmbH as a management consultant. In 1999, she joined T-Systems International GmbH as senior vice president in business development. She worked as a management consultant for major industrial groups before joining ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH as head of strategy, business development, and M&A from 2005 to 2007. From 2007 to 2017, she was managing director at several German shipyards before joining Rheinmetall AG as CEO of the Electronic Solutions division. She joined RENK in 2021 as CEO. She is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of BWI GmbH and has held various leadership roles in Rheinmetall and other companies.

12:30 – 13:30 - Buffet Lunch, tables for open seating and tables for standing

13:30 – 14:30 and 15:30 – 16:30 Moderator: Dr. Jan Stöckmann is Head of the Directors’ Office at DGAP, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, German Council on Foreign Affairs, and works on 20th century political thought and diplomacy. He authored the book “The Architecture of International Relations”, Cambridge University Press., received his doctorate from University of Oxford, a double master's degree in international & world history at Columbia University and the London School of Economics, and a bachelor's degree in philosophy & economics at the University of Bayreuth. He researched and taught as a postdoc at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, was a Wiener Anspach Fellow at Uni. libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and a Brady Johnson Fellow at Yale University.

13:30 – 14:30 - Ambassador Julianne Smith is an American foreign policy advisor and diplomat who served as the United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 2021 to 2024. Prior to this, she served as Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. She previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor to then Vice President Biden. Before her post at the White House, Ambassador Smith served for 3 years as the Principal Director for European and NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon. In Jan 2012, she was awarded the Office of the Secretary Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Prior to her government service, Ambassador Smith held a variety of positions at research institutions including the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the GMF, the American Aca. Berlin, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. Ambassador Smith is a recipient of the Richard v. Weizsäcker Fellowship at the Bosch Aca. In Berlin and the Fredin Memorial Scholarship for study at the Sorbonne, Paris. She received her BA from Xavier Uni. and her MA from American Uni. 2017, she received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

13:30 – 14:30 - Prof. Dr. Marina Henke is Professor of International Relations and Director, Centre for International Security, Hertie School, Berlin. Prof Dr Henke researches and publishes on grand strategy, nuclear security and European security and defense policy. Before joining the Hertie School, she was an Associate Professor (with tenure) at Northwestern University, specializing in international relations, as well as at Princeton University where she was a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She holds a PhD in Politics and Public Policy from Princeton University, a Double Master of Science in Development Studies and International Political Economy from Sciences Po Paris and the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Politics and Latin American Studies from Sciences Po Paris. Her book “Constructing Allied Cooperation” published with Cornell University Press in 2019 won the prestigious 2020 Lepgold Best Book Award, the ISA 2020 Diplomacy section Best Book Award, and the APSA 2020 International Collaboration section Best Book Award.

14:30- 15:30 Live Stream from the MSC Conference Hall

15:30 – 16:30 - Kimberly Marteau Emerson is a lawyer, civic leader, and human rights advocate. She currently serves on the US Holocaust Memorial Council (Presidential appointee), as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch, and Chair of the Board of Governors of Bard College Berlin. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, and on the Advisory Boards of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the Thomas Mann House and the German American Institutes, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. During the Clinton Administration, Mrs. Emerson served as spokesperson and public liaison for the U.S. Information Agency. In the Obama years, she worked in Berlin alongside her husband, U.S. Ambassador to Germany John B. Emerson (retired) on projects including the Embassy’s efforts to combat antisemitism and to promote integration during the 2015 refugee crisis. She holds a B.A. from UCLA, a J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law, and a D.E.S.U. from l’Université de Droit d’Aix-Marseille.

15:30 – 16:30 - Gerald Knaus is an expert in international politics, having studied in Oxford, Brussels, and Bologna. He has held a lectureship in economics at the State University of Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and is a regular lecturer on Southeast Europe at the NATO Defence College in Rome. He has held fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna. Mr Knaus is the founding chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI) think tank and has written film scripts and reports that led to the EU-Turkey Statement on Migration (2016) and the uncovering of the “Caviar Diplomacy” corruption scandal at the Council of Europe (2017). His books include “Bulgaria” (1996), “Can Intervention Work?” (2011) with Rory Stewart, the Spiegel bestseller “Welche Grenzen brauchen wir?” (2020, tr: What Borders Do We Need?) and “Wir und die Flüchtlinge” (2022, tr: We and the Refugees). He lives in Berlin.

Head Winds Facing the West in Transition to a Multipolar World

2024

February 16th 2024

PROGRAM

09:30 - 09:45

ARRIVAL

09:45 - 10:00

Opening Statements

10:00 - 11:45

Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Pisarska, Chair of Warsaw Security Forum, Chairwoman of the Council of Casmir Pulaski Foundation

Carl-Victor Wachs, Moderation

• Three Major International 2024 Events that will be Gamechangers for Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance

11:45 - 12:45

LUNCH

12:45 - 13:45

Former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Spitzberg Partners
Anna Rosenberg, Amundi

• How to Reach the Middle Ground in Democracies, Avoid Extremism, and an American Polarization Scenario in Europe

13:45- 14:15

Streaming Main Stage 1

14:15- 15:00

COFFEE BREAK

15:00 - 15:45

Anna Rosenberg, Amundi
Grégoire Roos, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt

• Under the Radar Risks - Unpreparedness for Risks

15:45 - 16:30

Moderator Dr. Jan Stöckmann, DGAP

Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler
Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser, TUM
• The Geopolitics of AI and Regulations

16:30 - 17:15

MSC Streaming Main Stage 1

17:15 - 18:00

Dr. Claudia Major, SWP

• How to Deal with the Changing Nuclear Order and the Rising Importance of Military Power.

MSC Side Event 2024

Speakers

10:00 - 11:45: Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Pisarska is a Polish social entrepreneur, civic activist and academic. Her activities extend beyond being founder of and leader as either Chair or President at: the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, the Warsaw Security Forum, the European Academy of Diplomacy, the Visegrad School of Political Studies, and a Co-Founder and Chairwoman of the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. She is internationally recognized as a Global Leader by World Economic Forum and Munich Security Conference, she is holding roles as Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, CPD Faculty Fellow at the University of Southern California, Visiting Scholar at the University of Malaga, the Australian National University, at Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, and a visiting Fellow at Harvard University. She specializes in EU foreign policy, Eastern Partnership, and EU-Russia relations.

10:00 – 11:45 Moderator: Carl-Victor Wachs is head of communications and press spokesman for INSM and has formerly worked as a Bundestag correspondent at BILD. He completed a bachelor's degree in linguistics, Uni. of Cambridge and a master's in literary studies, Uni. of Munich, completed a position as political analyst at Carnegie Europe.

12:45 - 13:45: Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg is a German businessman and politician of the Christian Social Union (CSU). He made significant contributions as a member of the Bundestag, German Federal Parliament from 2002 to 2011, as Secretary-General of the CSU from 2008 to 2009, as Federal Minister for Economics and Technology in 2009, and as Federal Minister of Defence from 2009 to 2011. Following his political career, zu Guttenberg transitioned to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in 2011. Presently, he is the chairman and co-founder of Spitzberg Partners, an advisory and investment firm headquartered in New York City.

12:45 - 13:45 & 15:00 - 15:45: Anna Rosenberg is Head of Geopolitics for Amundi Investment Institute. She is guiding Amundi and its clients through complexities of global geopolitical dynamics, aiding in informed investment decisions amidst shifts in the global landscape. Her commentary on politics and work on business strategy has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, BBC, and CNBC, among others. She is a Visiting Scholar at London Institute of Banking & Finance and a BBC Expert Woman. She is a historian by training and holds an MA with Distinction from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

15:00 - 15:45: Grégoire Roos is coordinator of Political Dialogue, Strategy, and Insight at BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt. At UNDP Regional Service Centre in Africa, he joined the financial industry and focused on global trends and their impact on markets. He is active in the French Armed Forces as Reserve Officer in the Navy. A foreign affairs specialist, he served as France’s Youth Ambassador to UNESCO, as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and as alumnus of the German-French Young Leaders. He’s an associate fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and is a consulting expert for several research groups.

15:45 - 16:30: Karoline Edtstadler is Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Austrian Federal Chancellery since January 2020. Her portefeuille also includes the coordination of the implementation of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Furthermore, Karoline Edtstadler is the government representative for the Global North on the Leadership Panel of the UN Internet Governance Forum and has co-founded an initiative “The Next Generation is Female” bringing together leading female EU politicians. Before becoming Federal Minister, she was a Member of the European Parliament following elections in May 2019. From 2017 to May 2019, Karoline Edtstadler was State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Originally a judge in Salzburg, Edtstadler has spent time at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg as a legal expert (2016-2017) and worked as an adviser in the cabinet of the Federal Minister for Justice.

15:45 - 16:30: Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser serves as Rector of the Hochschule für Politik (HfP) and Dean of the Technical University Munich School of Social Sciences and Technology and is Professor of Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology and School of Social Sciences and Technology. His research focuses on the societal and regulatory implications of new technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. From 2009 to 2021, he acted as Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and from 2013 Professor of Practice at the Harvard Law School and held a SNSF funding professorship at University of St Gallen.

17:15 - 18:00: Dr. Claudia Major is Head of the Research Division International Security at SWP, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Foundation for Science and Politics. Her areas of expertise are Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), the Armed forces, German defence and security policy, and NATO. She serves on the Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Prevention of the Federal Foreign Office. She has held position at the Center for Security Studies at the University ETH Zurich, the German Council on Foreign Relations, the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris, and the Paris Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences Po). Dr. Major was made a Knight of the French Order of Merit.

17:15 - 18:00: Moderator Dr. Jan Stöckmann Head of the Directors’ Office at DGAP, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, German Council for Foreign Affairs, and works on 20th century political thought and diplomacy. He authored the book “The Architecture of International Relations”, Cambridge University Press., received his doctorate double master's degree in international & world history at Columbia University and the London School of Economics and a bacherlor´s degree in philosophy & economics at the University of Bayreuth. He researched and taught as a postdoc at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, was a Wiener Anspach Fellow at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and a Brady Johnson Fellow at Yale University.