Dr Martin Barth, Secretary General of the Görres Society, Dr Philip Schäfer, Managing Director of CASSIS, and Prof Dr Ulrich Schlie, Henry Kissinger Professor at CASSIS, opened the event with brief welcoming addresses to the more than 100 participants. This was followed by two keynote speeches by retired General Jörg Vollmer, Chief Advisor Military Affairs at the Fraunhofer FKIE, and Prof Dr Wolfgang Koch from the Fraunhofer Institute FKIE.
Drawing on his practical military experience, General Vollmer gave his presentation a strategic focus. Russia had massively underestimated Ukraine's defence capabilities and was now paying a high military and economic price for putting pressure on its opponent. The unity of the West is an important cornerstone for the defence of Ukraine. Above all, solidarity with the Baltic states, which have seen their freedom and independence severely threatened since the outbreak of the war, is key to Europe's and NATO's defence strategy.
Prof Koch's speech focused primarily on the technological dimension of war. One of the insights gained after 1000 days of war was that old types of weapons have not become obsolete in the context of such a ‘modern’ war, but that traditional tanks and air defence remain an integral part of warfare. What is important in the digital age, the age of ‘transparent battlefields’, is the efficient networking of high technology and conventional strategy and material.
The keynote speeches were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Prof Schlie. General Vollmer emphasised that, in the context of the conflict, Ukraine could not be said to have provoked Russia. Ukraine's decision to move closer to the EU and NATO was made of its own free will and not with a view to provoking Russia. Prof Koch pointed out that the Bundeswehr should be more sustainably integrated into German society in the future.