There is such a thing! Maritime Germany! MC 2023

The German Maritime Institute and griephan | DVV media organise Germany's annual maritime conference - and have been doing so in the heart of Berlin since 2007.

And word is gradually getting around that maritime dependencies, the maritime economy and global challenges across oceans need to be discussed and debated.

The German Maritime Institute and griephan once again organised the MARITIME CONVENTION 2023 this year. And there were two special birthdays: the 50th anniversary of the German Navy itself and the 175th anniversary of the German Navy. The motto of the event was: "Expectations of maritime Germany". The venue was once again the Representation of the State of Schleswig-Holstein to the Federal Government in Berlin.

Greeting from Minister of State Tobias Lindner, Federal Foreign Office. Photo: Brüdegam

After the personal welcome, the President of the DMI, Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, had the pleasure of introducing the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Tobias Lindner, as a special guest. Tobias Lindner had already proven himself to be an expert on the "maritime idea" at previous German Navy events and emphasised Germany's "rich maritime heritage", which has always been an essential element of its economic strength. He literally spoke of: "cooperation, stability and sustainability", which requires us to be defencible, robust and sustainable. In his welcoming address, he also mentioned the current conflict in the Middle East. You can see that "supposedly dormant conflicts suddenly erupt". This teaches us how important vigilant protection is, including for ships. This was because the capture of a car carrier by Huthi rebels had just taken place.

Ambassador Kai Sauer, Finland. Photo: Brüdegam

The first panel of the conference, which was held in English, was entitled "Germany in Europe". It was introduced and moderated by Dr habil. May-Britt Stumbaum, Team Lead Asia Pacific Security at the University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich. She welcomed Major General Bruno Hofbauer, National Capability Director of the Austrian Ministry of Defence, an old friend and connoisseur of the German Navy and well-connected in maritime circles, as a guest. All the more reason to listen carefully to him as an assessor of the German role. And this time too, he was able to convincingly explain how important Austria's economic and security policy cooperation with Germany is for Europe - we are not giving any details due to the Chatham House Rule. Kai Sauer, Finland's ambassador to Germany with German roots, also took to the lectern. His descriptions of a "frontline state" that has never abolished compulsory military service and is now a NATO member are particularly interesting in view of the current threats. Rear Admiral Giuseppe Schivardi, Director of the Study Centre, Naval Staff College in Rome, was also on the panel to answer questions. The astonishing comparative presentation of the Baltic and the Mediterranean was just as interesting as the comparative social view. In particular, the Italian initiative to teach military policy in schools.

Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno, Indonesia. Photo: Brüdegam

The second panel was to look at Germany from a global perspective and was chaired by the Vice President of the German Maritime Institute, Dr Sarah Kirchberger, Director of the ISPK in Kiel. Her first guest was Arif Havas Oegroseno, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Germany. In witty and clear words, he presented the security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region from his perspective. This made it clear that Germany has a role to play in the distant maritime region, as do its European partners, if we do not want to leave the economic and trade playing field to China.

She also welcomed Rear Admiral Sean Wat, Commander of the Singapore Navy. Although he is new to his post, he is no stranger to German naval circles and a friend of his German counterpart Jan C. Kaack. At the same time, it was announced that Singapore had ordered new offshore patrol vessels - from the Fassmer shipyard. So the visit was doubly fitting. He emphasised the good relations, the importance of navies as political ambassadors - as Tobias Lindner had also seen it - and warmly welcomed the visit of German units to the Indo-Pacific region. "Presence matters" and "Constant open dialogue is key" were his impressive messages to the panel of experts. Also present was Dr Alexandra Sakaki, Deputy Head of Research Division, Research Division Asia of the SWP. She gave an impressive account of the social turnaround in Japan triggered by the recent crises and presented Japan's role in the area of tension. This is also remarkable when you consider the role of China, the behaviour of North Korea and the American presence.

Inspector Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack and guest of honour Flotilla Admiral Sean Wat, Commander Singapore Navy. Photo: H. Schlüter

Finally, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Inspector of the Navy, made his closing statement. His motto was that the German Navy is "regionally rooted and globally committed". Its main area of operation "is and remains" the northern flank of Europe with the important supply routes in the Atlantic, the North Sea and the North Norwegian Sea. Due to the regional expertise and the range of our diverse activities, it is a matter of course that the German Navy is involved in the Baltic Sea. But the navy is also a flexible instrument for our government's foreign policy, particularly in the area of international crisis prevention and management. He also emphasised that the German commitment within the framework of the National Security Strategy and the 2023 Defence Policy Guidelines also required the presence of the Navy in the far Pacific. The first deployment in 2021/22 had shown that the German Navy was indeed such a flexible instrument of Germany's foreign and security policy. At the end of his speech, he presented the annual report of the Rostock Naval Command on the maritime dependency of the Federal Republic of Germany. This report can be read here. The closing words were spoken by State Secretary Sandra Gerken, Plenipotentiary of the State of Schleswig-Holstein to the Federal Government, before Karsten Schneider officially closed the Maritime Convention and invited everyone to dinner.

Panel discussion with Dr Sarah Kirchberger (Vice President DMI, ISPK), Ambassador Oegroseno, FAdm Wat, Dr Sakaki. Photo: Brüdegam

The evening offered plenty to talk about, as the top-class panellists had analysed the situation and offered perspectives from their own perspectives, some of which were stirring and intensive. And taking into account the current crises and potential dangers in the world, the word "China" came up very often, even if current events are closer to Germany than people would like to admit. But the Indo-Pacific is obviously not far away either.

Background:

50 years of the German Maritime Institute

The German Maritime Institute was founded in 1973 to promote awareness and understanding of maritime issues in Germany. The spectrum of its work covers issues of maritime security, German maritime security policy and matters relating to the German Navy. Its members come from the worlds of politics, science, business and the navy. With its experts, the DMI is a competent point of contact for politicians and media representatives.

Events and activities of the DMI

• Maritime Capital Forum (MHF), an event platform of maritime associations and institutions that engage in dialogue with the expert network of Berlin politicians.
• Maritime Colloquium Wilhelmshaven, a series of conferences on maritime security.
• Maritime Convention, a conference in Berlin in an international and political environment together with DVV Media and griephan.
• Zeitschrift marineforum and marineforum.online, the German specialised publication and its online portal on maritime issues and maritime security policy as well as navies from all over the world.