► Programme on pages 47-53 DIGITAL Berlin Security Conference Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power Partner 19th Congress on European Security and Defence: Czech Republic SAVE THE DATE: The next Berlin Security Conference will take place on 24/25 November 2021 BSC 19 – Issue Nr. 17 – May 2021 ProPress Publishing Group organized by www.euro-defence.eu ©2020 Northrop Grumman The ocean is simply too vast. Until it’s not. ngc.com/triton Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power 3 Digital Berlin Security Conference 18 / 19 May 2021 Dear Sirs and Madams, I would like to welcome you most warmly to the first digital Berlin Security Conference. An extraordinary situation, namely the global pandemic, has required extraordinary measures. Following the postponement of the BSC sched- uled for November 2020, we were forced to decide to hold the BSC online in May 2021 – but we also turned this into an opportunity. Because this conference also features Nicole Schnittfincke Foto: high-ranking politicians, military officers, members of se- curity policy organisations and representatives of business and industry. And last but not least, we will look at the further devel- Our partner country is the Czech Republic. And this time I opment of gender policy in the EU and NATO – a topic to would like to especially thank our Czech partners for having which the BSC is once again assigning particular emphasis been up to the challenge and working with the Behörden this year. Spiegel team the whole way in planning and staging the The main programme is being supported by a diverse BSC. I would especially like to thank the Czech Ambas- range of fifteen specialist digital panels available again this sador, H.E. Ambassador Tomáš Kafka, Dr. Milan Čoupek year, in which particular aspects of security, military and and the Military Attaché for their extraordinary support. In armaments policy are to be examined with special support Prague, we especially enjoyed the support of the Deputy from our partner country. Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Jaromir Zuna, and Mr. European responsibility in particularly difficult times Daniel Straka from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. requires special cohesion – that is what our conference is The theme of the conference for this 19th BSC is: “Europe all about. – a cohesive bond for strong power”. A banner deliberately I would especially like to thank our prominent Advisory chosen to stand as a fact, but also serve as an appeal: Board for its support in the planning and welcome the new For Europe and the world in critical times. The European members: Ambassador Claude-France Arnould and Am- Union is dependent on cohesion, and strength can and will bassador Bettina Cadenbach will be supporting us and the develop from this cohesion if the European states work Board with their advice in the future. consistently on it – in terms of security and military policy. The congress presidency is once again in the hands of And always in the context of the transatlantic alliance with Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering, former president and member the United States and NATO. of the European Parliament for many years. His advice, We have identified four substantive lines of action in the his wide-ranging experience and his help have made this conference below this banner: sophisticated conference possible. We will be exploring the EU‘s security policy progress Dear sirs and madams, we are looking ahead to two through key notes and a high-level debate with politicians exciting days of the digital 19th Berlin Security Conference - and experts – including with a special focus on our partner and building a bridge to November 24-25 of this year, when country and the states surrounding it, and of course from a we will be holding the 20th Berlin Security Conference as an global perspective as well. event with physical presence in Berlin. Strategic military aspects are to be explained to us by the leading Chiefs of Staff and Commanders of the EU and I hope you enjoy reading this interesting congress NATO, including with reference to current developments. magazine! How the new challenges are to be implemented in force planning and technology will be addressed by and dis- cussed with European planning and armament directors. Uwe Proll Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Behörden Spiegel Group 4 Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power In this edition THE BERLIN SECURITY CONFERENCE BSC ADVISORY BOARD 08 European security in times of the COVID 19 pandemic 22 Far more than a military alliance of convenience Dr Hans-Gert Pöttering, Congress President Wolfgang Hellmich MP, Chairman of the Defence Committee, German Bundestag PARTNER BSC CZECH REPUBLIC 24 The Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean: 10 Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power The accumulation of challenges. Former Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček and Romania’s uncomfortable position Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar, Prague Prof Ioan Mircea Paşcu, former Vice-President of the European Parliament 12 Friendship and reliability are linchpins of our security Ambassador Tomáš Kafka, Czech Embassy Berlin 26 Security in and through the European Union Thomas Silberhorn MP, Parliamentary State Secretary 14 Modernisation of the Czech Armed Forces – a major challenge with no alternative 28 Brexit and European Security and Defence Policy Lieutenant General Jaromír Zůna, Deputy Chief of Dr Karl von Wogau, Honorary President of the Defence Kangaroo Group 16 Cooperation is the only way forward 30 Brexit – Don’t lose the plot on European Defence! Ambassador Jiří Šedivy, Chief Executive EDA Robert Walter, President of the European Security and Defence Association (ESDA) BSC ADVISORY BOARD CHIEFS OF GERMAN MILITARY SERVICES 18 On our way to European sovereignty in global 32 Current and Future Challenges for the Bundeswehr geopolitics General Eberhard Zorn, Chief of Defence Niels Annen MP, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office 34 Health: A security issue. How the corona pandemic exposes the impact of health system resilience on 20 European security after the pandemic – security invest more together instead of cutting individually Lieutenant General (MC) Dr Ulrich Baumgärtner, Michael Gahler, MEP Chief of German Joint Medical Service Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power 5 CHIEFS OF GERMAN MILITARY SERVICES BERLIN SECURITY CONFERENCE 36 State sovereignty in times of digitalisation 47 Conference programme Vice Admiral Dr Thomas Daum, Chief of CID Service 54 Speakers and experts 66 Imprint 38 Multinational Air Power 67 Exhibitors and sponsors Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of Air Force 40 Land Forces in a Joint and Combined Environment – readiness and availability Lieutenant General Alfons Mais, Chief of Army 42 Enablement of the Rear Area – Germany‘s Participation Lieutenant General Martin Schelleis, Chief of the German Joint Support and Enabling Service 44 The German Navy – Setting the course for the next decades Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach, Chief of Navy Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power 7 ADVISORY BOARD The BSC is supported by an Advisory Board made up of distinguished international personalities. The members of this board are: Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering Niels Annen MP Claude-France Arnould Michel Barnier former President of the European Minister of State, Senior Advisor on European former Head of Task Force Parliament, Representative for German Federal Foreign matters of the French Institute of for Relations with the European Affairs of the Konrad Office international relations (Ifri), former United Kingdom, Adenauer Stiftung, Congress French Ambassador to Belgium, European Commission President BSC 2020 former Chief Executive of the EDA Michael Gahler Bettina Cadenbach Wolfgang Hellmich MP Prof Ioan Mircea Pa şcu MEP, EPP Group Foreign Assistant Secretary General for Political Chairman of the Defence former Vice-President of the Affairs Coordinator, Affairs and Security Policy NATO, Committee, German European Parliament, former European Parliament former Director for Security Policy at Bundestag Defence Minister of Romania, the Federal Foreign Office, former Congress President BSC 2018 Ambassador of Germany to Georgia Ambassador Jiří Šedivý Dr. Karl von Wogau Robert Walter Thomas Silberhorn MP Chief Executive, European Defence Honorary President of President of the Assembly of the Parliamentary State Secretary, Agency (EDA), former Minister of the Kangaroo Group, WEU 2008–2011, President ESDA, German Federal Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic, Congress President BSC Congress President BSC Defence Congress President BSC 2015–2017 2001–2011 2012–2014 BSC MANAGEMENT TEAM Hubertus von Rohr Verena Müller Dr. h.c. Jennifer Goßblotekamp Reinhard Wolski Reimar Scherz Colonel (ret), Congress Management, Key-Account BSC, Major General (ret), Brigadier General (ret), Congress Coordinator, Behörden Spiegel Behörden Spiegel Conference Chairman, Senior Advisor BSC, Behörden Spiegel Behörden Spiegel Behörden Spiegel 8 Europe – a cohesive bond for strong power The Berlin Security Conference European security in times of the COVID 19 pandemic (BSC/Dr Hans-Gert Pöttering*) Germany and Europe are facing major challenges. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the beginning of last year not only had fatal health consequences, it has also led to an unprecedent- ed economic slump and has put our free societies to the test. At the same time, the COVID 19 pandemic has not diminished the security challenges facing Europe. On the contrary, the spread of the virus has further accelerated power shifts in the international system, putting additional strain on the multilateral, rule-based international order “The strategy of “staying transatlantic, and calling for a stronger and more autonomous European becoming more European” commitment in the area of security policy. Both China and Russia have used the crisis to ratchet up must be continued.” their power ambitions. Over the course of the COVID 19 crisis, both countries have avidly disseminated disinforma- DR HANS-GERT PÖTTERING tion and propaganda. States have deliberately spread false information about the origin of the virus and its spread in Europe.