May I introduce: The NIT.

We are the NIT. The Naval Innovation Team. Yes, yes... another one of those teams. Another group of "young savages" who want to improve the maritime environment. But far from it. We are not just any group, we are the ones who are really making things better this time and not just complaining about deadlocked structures and situations. Doing is just like wanting, only more blatant!

But right from the start. What are we actually talking about?

Two-thirds of our name is self-explanatory. The middle part, the term "innovation", which is now used all too inflationarily, should be emphasised here: Where does innovation even begin and how does it fit in with a branch of the armed forces in which, without wanting to go into detail about the Bundeswehr's tradition decree, tradition is most strongly developed and lived (Seemannssonntag (Sailors' Sunday), cross-national tributes when passing through naval units at the Laboe naval memorial, ship christenings, to name just a few examples)? Not so long ago, it was unimaginable that women would serve on board warships and nowadays this is the absolute norm, which is absolutely a good thing! The world is changing at a rapid pace. Nothing is as constant as impermanence and behind supposedly simple issues lie highly complex processes, as the Bundeswehr's procurement process proves. A "we've-always-done-it-that-way" attitude will get us nowhere and we must face new challenges together, some of which we cannot yet grasp. We, and by that we mean the Western society of values, are all in the same boat and without at least a basic understanding of the changes of course we have taken, the actual goals such as prosperity, peace and freedom are quickly lost sight of.

So does innovation mean saying goodbye to traditional views? Does innovation perhaps begin where tradition ends? Innovation is derived from the Latin innovare (to renew) and means the cross-sectional realisation of new ideas and inventions. It does not mean calling functioning mechanisms into question or "making them worse". Nor does it mean abolishing tried and tested structures, technologies or traditions, otherwise we would have had to call ourselves the Naval Exnovation Team. So how do we want to develop this notion of innovation into a concept?

Or to put it another way: what exactly do we want?

Although there is a lot of talk about maritime nature in Germany and even Bavarians like to wear an anchor somewhere on their bodies as a devotional object, this discourse is far removed from the actual maritime mindset. The general public lacks interdepartmental, coordinated planning, a collection of security policy knowledge and the tasks of the naval forces and therefore ultimately a clear point of contact for anyone who wants to overcome their "sea blindness".

At the NIT, we have made it our mission, almost our passion, to reach out to this broad public, to promote the opportunity for maritime knowledge building and to provide an informal and innovative space for the resulting dialogue on various aspects of security and defence policy, as well as social aspects.

Our aim is not to reach the local maritime community, but to deliberately stimulate a broad diversity of opinions for discussion. Far removed from hierarchical levels and military backgrounds, we want to critically scrutinise traditional views and introduce new points of view. To be innovative in the true sense of the word.

We hope that this exchange of opinions will stimulate modern ways of thinking and possibly reach people who have not previously had the courage or passion to tackle this highly exciting and diverse topic. We will eliminate possible frustrations of the younger generation by using atypical ways of approaching problem areas and thus also simplify their access to networks and co-design formats.

We also want to bring a breath of fresh air to the landscape of grey units. Where we used to hold coffee and chat sessions in the warmth, we plan to bring boats and ships, the sea and the waves right into the public's living room. Whether with the help of exciting podcasts, the extensive use of the possibilities of social media or live recordings of high-quality events, we will put maritime discourse on the agenda everywhere and thus make people look forward to more sea.

We will be supported by already established companies and thus manage not to enter the circle of the old men as a youngster, but to become a valued member of a network that is supported by mentoring for the first steps. The similarities of all networks, but above all the differences between them, will ultimately offer a colourful potpourri of opinions and approaches, to which we would like to make our innovative, unconventional and dynamic contribution.

Our staff consists of old sea dogs, business representatives, intellectuals and middlemen from society. We are all united by the idea of infecting everyone with our love of the sea, seafaring, grey steel and the obligations we have assumed in the maritime sector towards business, politics and society. Even if the jokes about the sea have already been exhausted, we would like to encourage everyone in Germany to understand the sea.