Maritime Convention 2024, Berlin - More globally relevant than ever

The 17th edition of the Maritime Convention 2024 in Berlin took place in the shadow of several political events.

The format is unchanged, a large audience that is continuously represented by younger people remains loyal for many years, the topics are always up to date and the relevance of maritime issues is emphasised anew every year. This trend, which has been observed for years, should German Maritime Institute (DMI) The company's aim is to carry the maritime idea inland and into people's consciousness.

However, the growing presence of the maritime sector is developing in an increasingly unpeaceful world - the expertise of the DMI very much in demand, but this is not how the world was actually imagined 51 years ago. The DMI with its president Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider and griephan with its editor Heinz Schulte, founding member and spiritus rector at the same time, could once again look back on an impressive list of international speakers and panellists.

The plenary session was attended by a whole phalanx of political and military celebrities: Lieutenant General Bruno Hofbauer, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, retired General Hans-Lothar Domröse, retired Admiral Manfred Nielson, Rear Admiral Müller-Meinhard, MP Ingo Gaedechens, MP and retired State Secretary Marcus Grübel listened to the keynote speaker, retired Admiral Joachim Rühle. This was his first public appearance following his recent retirement as Chief of Staff NATO SHAPE. He drew an unembellished picture of the "multicomplex polycrisis", as he called it, and the new role of the alliance that comes with it.

The first panel consisted of: Ministerial Director Dr Jasper Wieck, Head of the Policy Department at the BMVg, Dr Robin Allers from the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies and Evelyne Coulombe from the Canadian Embassy in Germany. The topic was both surprising and good: the new German-Norwegian-Canadian cooperation, moderated by Dr May-Britt Stumbaum from the George C. Marshall Center. The second panel was moderated with his usual charm by Heinz Schulte, who welcomed Nick Childs from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the recently retired Rear Admiral Jürgen Ehle.

The Q&A sessions ended in the late afternoon at the Schleswig-Holstein Representation in the Ministerial Gardens in Berlin. Vice Admiral Jan C. Kaack, who had flown in at short notice from the christening of the Israeli submarine INS DRAKON, opened his speech by congratulating everyone on celebrating the 69th anniversary of the founding of the Bundeswehr. He addressed the current issues facing the German Navy, starting with the route of the Indo-Pacific Association, instead of travelling through the Red Sea around the Cape of Good Hope. Based on the risk assessment, the minister decided to follow the advice of the navy, as the Huthi are to be taken very seriously. The "IPD" is to be regarded as permanent in the future, but he did not publicly explain in which presence in this circle. He also addressed the importance of current defence projects such as the F 126, F 127 and U 212 CD. In connection with the "Drehscheibe Deutschland", he also mentioned the commissioning of the CTF Baltic headquarters.

The traditional highlight of the event was the presentation of the annual Report on Germany's maritime dependency in facts, figures and data. In the past, it was possible to mark the official handover of the Navy's report to the President of the DMI both gentlemen remain empty-handed this time. Nor did the visitors' briefcases have to hold the 200-page report, which weighed almost a kilogramme last year, because it is available electronically in the future.

In conclusion, he thanked DMI President Karsten Schneider to the speakers and guests for their attendance. As always, the evening ended with a buffet and lively discussions between representatives from politics, the armed forces, authorities and business.

The report was prepared by the Naval Shipping Management Department of the Rostock Naval Command under the leadership of Frigate Captain Steffen Lange.

Report on Germany's Maritime Dependency 2024
https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/marine/organisation/marineschifffahrtleitung/maritime-abhaengigkeit

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