Fachkonferenz
Details
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With Russia's large-scale invasion and terror in Ukraine and repeated threats to the neighbouring countries, the security situation in the Baltic Sea region is more critical than it has been for decades. For the countries bordering the Baltic Sea, questions of threat analysis, defence and security cooperation have reached a new urgency. At the same time, with Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the Baltic Sea is becoming a Mare Nostrum for the Alliance: a fundamental geopolitical and strategic change. Many questions arise, old certainties have to be questioned. This requires forums of exchange, discussion and communication.
To provide such an opportunity, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University (ISPK) and the Hermann Ehlers Foundation (HES) will host a security policy conference in Kiel, for which the Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Dr Johann Wadephul MP, has assumed patronage.
There will be high-ranking keynote speeches by Daniel Günther, Minister-President and State Chancellery of Schleswig-Holstein, ADM Stuart Munsch, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces, Europe Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Africa/Commander, Allied Joint Forces Command, Naples and VADM Jan Christian Kaack, Chief German Navy.
We cordially invite you to:
The Kiel Security Conference 2023 (KSC)
"Spies, Subs and Melting Ice - Old & New Challenges to the Baltic Sea Region"
on 17 June 2023 (from 9:00 to 15:30)
at the Maritim Hotel Bellevue Kiel, Bismarckallee 2, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Prior to the Kiel Security Conference, Hermann Ehlers Foundation invites to a Garden Reception on Friday, 16 June at 17:30 h at Niemannsweg 78 in Kiel.
Please sign up for the garden reception by sending an e-mail to Ms Uta Bratz (bratz@hermann-ehlers.de).
The actual conference programme will then start on Saturday, 17 June 2023, at 9:00h and will end in the early afternoon.
The weekend of 17 June is also the start of the traditional Kiel Week with numerous receptions and festivities, accompanied by the visit of naval units from numerous NATO countries. A trip to Kiel is therefore worthwhile in any case. So join us at this year’s Kiel Security Conference.
For a limited number of participants, we have booked rooms at the Maritim Hotel Bellevue Kiel. We will cover the hotel cost and board during the conference as well as the transfer from Hamburg Airport by bus. Please register timely with Luise Gebhardt and Christin Hesse (luise.gebhardt@kas.de; christin.Hesse@kas.de) in order to profit from this arrangement.
The programme will be shared with you in May. In order to receive the invitation, please register your contact data here.
Looking forward to welcoming you in Kiel!
Programm
08:00 – 09:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee
09:00 – 09:15 Conference Opening and Welcome Remarks
Dr. Gerhard Wahlers
Deputy Secretary General, Department Head, Department European and International Cooperation, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.
Dr. Johann Wadephul, MP
Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group German Bundestag
09:15 – 09:30 Keynote
Žilvinas Tomkus
Vice-Minister of National Defence, Republic of Lithuania
09:30 – 10:30 Panel I: A New ‘Mare Nostrum’? Finland’s NATO Accession and Sweden’s Application as Game Changers in the Baltics
A simple glance at the map shows what the accession of Finland and Sweden means: the Baltic Sea becomes an internal sea of NATO - but only almost. For the alliance, this will make strategic planning easier, for example to defend the Baltic states. At the same time, however, it is to be expected that Russia will respond with rearmament and possibly more aggressive action in the region. As a result, the High North will have to play a much more prominent role in NATO planning in the future. What will NATO’s new military posture look like in the Northeast? Will the accession of Finland and Sweden make NATO's eastern flank more secure - or will this increase the demands on NATO?
Speakers:
Admiral Stuart Munsch
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe/Commander
U.S. Naval Forces, Africa/Commander
Allied Joint Forces Command, Naples
Kusti Salm
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Republic of Estonia
Vice Admiral Jan C. Kaack
Chief of the German Navy
Moderator:
Dr. Bastian Giegerich
Director of Defence and Military Analysis,
International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
10:30 – 11:00 Power Coffee Break and Networking
11:00 – 12:00 Panel II: The War in Ukraine - How to Defend NATO’s Eastern Flank, how to Deter Russia?
The war in Ukraine has dominated the headlines and discussions for more than a year. It is the largest and most costly conflict in Europe since the end of the Second World War. Russia has signalled that it will not stop short of its war goals – there is a chance the conflict might linger for a long time, escalation is likewise not off the table. How can the European Union and NATO deter Russia from escalating both conventionally and nuclear? What are the necessary steps to keep international cooperation strong and build up required future capacities?
Speakers:
Commodore Jüri Saska
Commander of the Estonian Navy
Lieutenant General Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart
Commander Multinational Corps Northeast
Dr. Malena Britz
Directorate, Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Head of Research Swedish Defence University
Prof. Dr. Joachim Krause
Director ISPK
Moderator:
Dr. Antje Nötzold
Assistant Professor and Research Associate, Departement of International Relations, Chemnitz University of Technology
12:15 – 13:15 Panel III: Maritime Security in the Baltic and North Sea Region – The Growing Challenge of China
Maritime security in the Baltic and North Sea regions remains a significant concern due to various challenges, including China´s growing presence. China has invested heavily in ports and other maritime infrastructure globally as well as in in the region, which has led to worries about China´s potential influence and control over the maritime supply chain. Effective cooperation with increased surveillance and intelligence-sharing mechanism between NATO, the EU and other partners in the world will be crucial in maintaining maritime security in the future. What steps and measures should be taken to improve the readiness to respond to China´s challenges to maritime security in the region?
Speakers:
Dr. Sarah Kirchberger
Department Manager
Center for Asia-Pacific Strategy and Security, ISPK
Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan
AVSM & Bar, VSM (Retd),
Director General National Maritime Foundation
Meia Nouwens
Senior Fellow for Chinese Security and Defence Policy (IISS)
Moderator:
Justin Burke
Non-Resident Fellow, Maritime Strategy and Security Center for Maritime Strategy and Security at ISPK
13:15 – 13:30 High Level Keynote
Daniel Günther
Minister-President and State Chancellery of Schleswig-Holstein
13:30 – 14:30 Lunch (Buffet)
14:30 – 15:30 Panel IV: Holding the World Together – How to Guard Pipelines, Cables and Transmission Routes?
In the 21st century, the very existence of our societies hangs by a thread: without cables, there can be no large-scale global data transfer, without gas and oil pipelines the lights go out in our cities, and an energy turnaround is inconceivable without tightly meshed power lines. But this fine network of fine lines on the map of the Baltic Sea region is vulnerable. This was shown above all by the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. Are we existentially vulnerable if these veins are damaged or cut? How can we better protect the infrastructure of our modern states?
Speakers:
Vice Admiral Thomas E. Ishee
Commander 6th Fleet U.S. Navy & Commander Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO
Commodore Carsten Fjord-Larsen
Vice-chief of the Royal Danish Navy
Robin Allers
Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies
Evan Fuery
Senior Vice President at Equinor
Moderator:
Ferdinand Gehringer
KAS Analyst for Cyber Security
15:30 – 15:45 Closing Remarks
Themen
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