Munich Security Conference
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin established the conference in 1963 as a private gathering of about 60 participants. He was a resistance fighter from the Stauffenberg circle who hoped to prevent future military conflicts like the Second World War. The first meeting included leaders and experts such as Helmut Schmidt and Henry Kissinger. Von Kleist led these early meetings until 1998 when Horst Teltschik took over the role. Teltschik served as politician and business manager for ten years before Wolfgang Ischinger assumed leadership in 2008. Ischinger transformed the event into a non-profit company called Munich Security Conference GmbH in 2011. Christoph Heusgen succeeded Ischinger as chairman in February 2022 after leading the foundation since its inception. Jens Stoltenberg was named the incoming chairman in October 2024 to begin his term in 2025 once his NATO duties concluded. The conference has been held annually in February at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Bavaria, Germany since its inception. It faced three cancellations: in 1965 due to scheduling issues spanning year-end, in 1991 because of the First Gulf War, and in 1997 following von Kleist's retirement. Under Teltschik's direction the forum expanded to include political and military leaders from Central and Eastern Europe, India, Japan, South Korea, and China by 1999.
The Munich Security Conference now brings together about 350 senior figures from more than 70 countries each year. Attendees range from heads of state and government ministers to high-ranking representatives of armed forces and business leaders. In 2016 over 600 international guests attended including 30 heads of state and 70 foreign and defense ministers alongside 700 journalists from 48 countries. The 60th conference in 2024 hosted almost 1,000 participants from 109 countries with 45 heads of state and government present. More than half of the speakers at that event were female while over a quarter represented countries of the Global South. The venue remains the Hotel Bayerischer Hof where these intensive debates on current security challenges take place annually. Participants engage in discussions covering transatlantic relations, European security, and global threats across all decades of the conference's existence. The scale has grown from a small German gathering into the world's largest independent forum for international security policy decision-makers. This expansion reflects the increasing complexity of modern geopolitical risks requiring broad multilateral engagement rather than isolated national strategies.
German Minister for Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer publicly doubted U.S. reasoning for war against Iraq during the 39th conference in 2003 by stating Excuse me I am not convinced. Vladimir Putin delivered his famous speech at the 43rd Munich Security Conference in 2007 which criticized Western unilateralism and NATO expansion. In 2011 the New START Treaty entered into force when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov exchanged ratification instruments with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Western nations about abandoning appeasement toward Moscow five days before the Russian invasion began in February 2022. He stated that Ukraine had been granted security assurances through the 1994 Budapest Memorandum while giving up its nuclear arsenal without receiving any firearms or actual protection. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared the world was in a more precarious security situation than during the Cold War during the 58th conference in 2022. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced readiness to impose tough sanctions on Moscow if an attack occurred. The 61st conference in 2025 featured controversy after U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized organizers for banning lawmakers from populist parties on both left and right sides. European officials including Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Opposition Leader Friedrich Merz pushed back against Vance's remarks describing free speech as being in retreat across Europe.
The conference transitioned from a private meeting to a non-profit foundation called MSC Foundation in 2018 following contributions from the German government and other major donors. Public funding increased from less than €1 million in 2008 to approximately €10 million of mostly corporate funding by 2022. Wolfgang Ischinger established the Munich Security Conference GmbH company in 2011 which he led until Christoph Heusgen took over in February 2022. Vice chairmen include Ambassador Rainer Rudolph who succeeded Boris Ruge and Dr. Benedikt Franke serving as CEO. The organization operates independently without binding intergovernmental decision-making authority or common final communiqués typical of official government events. Specialized programs like Cyber Security Summits and Energy Security Summits emerged alongside the main annual gathering starting in 2012 and 2013 respectively. These parallel events allow focused discussions on specific threats while maintaining the broader scope of the primary conference. The MSC Foundation Charter governs leadership transitions ensuring continuity through periods of political change globally. Corporate sponsors contribute significantly to operational costs though their influence remains contested despite denials from entities like McKinsey regarding agenda control.
The first Cyber Security Summit occurred in Bonn in 2012 with cooperation from Deutsche Telekom under Chatham House Rule conditions. Paul Achleitner chairman of Deutsche Bank's supervisory board attended alongside Roland Koch head of Bilfinger Berger construction group. By 2014 Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges highlighted that the network recorded one million attacks daily according to internal data. The second summit in 2013 published speaker lists including Neelie Kroes vice-president of the European Commission and Ehud Barak former prime minister of Israel. A third summit in 2016 took place in Palo Alto Silicon Valley focusing on potential cyber manipulation of U.S. presidential elections. Marc Goodman warned everything could be hacked during an Internet of Things discussion at that event. The Energy Security Summit began in July 2013 held in Frankfurt Palmengarten ballroom under Federal Economics Minister Philipp Rösler. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh outlined plans for developing Iran's energy sector after sanctions ended in May 2015. He announced US$180 billion investment targets for the oil and gas industry by 2022 while rejecting pipeline projects to Europe due to transit costs. Youth engagement initiatives launched through Munich Young Leaders in 2009 involve up to two political science dissertations honored annually since 2019 with prize money reaching 10,000 Euros. The Women Parliamentarians Program started in 2023 connecting female decision-makers from German Bundestag and European Parliament.
The 57th conference in 2021 shifted entirely online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic without any in-person attendance. British PM Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and US President Joe Biden addressed the virtual gathering. Biden declared America is back promising a new tone on multilateralism compared to previous administrations. Discussions centered heavily on escalation within the Russo-Ukrainian war during the 58th conference in February 2022. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Western nations about abandoning appeasement policies five days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The 60th conference in 2024 adopted Lose-Lose? as its motto addressing growing isolationist dynamics threatening global order reform efforts. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz attended despite the ongoing Gaza war complicating regional security calculations. The 61st conference in 2025 focused on multipolarization summarizing current global changes requiring NATO members to increase defense spending significantly. U.S. Vice President JD Vance sparked controversy by criticizing exclusion of populist lawmakers while European leaders pushed back against his free speech claims. Key conclusions emphasized shifting primary military funding responsibility for Ukraine from the United States to European NATO members. Negotiations between the U.S. and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine formed part of broader strategic discussions throughout the event.
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Common questions
Who founded the Munich Security Conference and when was it established?
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin established the conference in 1963 as a private gathering of about 60 participants. He was a resistance fighter from the Stauffenberg circle who hoped to prevent future military conflicts like the Second World War.
Where is the Munich Security Conference held annually and what venue hosts the event?
The conference has been held annually in February at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Bavaria, Germany since its inception. The venue remains the Hotel Bayerischer Hof where these intensive debates on current security challenges take place annually.
When did Wolfgang Ischinger assume leadership of the Munich Security Conference and what organizational change occurred in 2011?
Wolfgang Ischinger assumed leadership in 2008 after Horst Teltschik served for ten years. Ischinger transformed the event into a non-profit company called Munich Security Conference GmbH in 2011.
What major geopolitical events were discussed during the 58th Munich Security Conference in 2022?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Western nations about abandoning appeasement toward Moscow five days before the Russian invasion began in February 2022. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared the world was in a more precarious security situation than during the Cold War during the 58th conference in 2022.
How many participants attended the 60th Munich Security Conference in 2024 and how many countries were represented?
The 60th conference in 2024 hosted almost 1,000 participants from 109 countries with 45 heads of state and government present. More than half of the speakers at that event were female while over a quarter represented countries of the Global South.