Every two years, the shipping world meets in Hamburg for the SMM. It has long been a good tradition to not only celebrate the booming industry on this occasion, but also to take a look at the risks. That is why the Maritime Security and Defence (MS&D) conference is being held.
This year’s SMM is under the motto “Driving the Maritime Transition”. Nowhere are the challenges to be mastered on the world’s oceans more evident than in the field of security. It is the traditional subject of the MS&D – this year under very different circumstances than in the past.
Civil and military shipping are equally concerned. Whether in the Black or Red Sea, on Africa’s west and east coasts, and not least in the eastern part of Asia, there are completely new threats, technologies and tactics. The speed of change and new forms of conflict are unusual and surprising even for long-standing experts.
Times of upheaval require solutions for the future. With its “Course 2035+”, the German Navy has set a pioneering example for many others by describing some of the new trends. Artificial intelligence, unmanned systems in all dimensions, and larger numbers of simple systems instead of a few complex large-scale projects characterize this path.
There are enough good analyses, now is the time to implement them. In most countries, defense spending is increasing. This alone makes it attractive for many new providers to enter the growing security and defense market with unconventional ideas. At the same time, established manufacturers are looking for innovative partners to develop alternative technology segments.
Dual use is the order of the day – and this is where the SMM’s full strength comes into play: it has always exhibited civil and military technology side by side.
This is exactly where MS&D comes in. With its “Challenges of Transition in The Naval and Maritime Domain” program, it wants to bring together actors who are often still unknown to each other. The discussions are about challenges and solutions in equal measure. Representatives from navies and industry, from science and start-ups will be on stage together.
As the German Maritime Institute, we are firmly convinced that this conference will provide a strong impetus to make new ideas a reality. We are looking forward to MS&D 2024.
Karsten Schneider
Preliminary programme:
Challenges of Transition in the Naval and Maritime Domain
Thursday, 5 September 2024
10:30-10:40 Opening Remarks: Plotting the Course of MS&D
Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, DMI President
10:40-11:00 Keynote
Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Chief of German Navy
11:00-12:00 Panel 1: Current Challenges in the Maritime Domain
Moderation: Dr. May-Britt Stumbaum, CISS
10 minutes per speaker, 25 minutes Q&A
New Technologies and Their Impact on Maritime Security:
Yemen and the Black Sea in Perspective
Captain (Navy) Sebastian Hamann, German Navy
Asymmetrical Threats Against Commercial Shipping
Irina Haesler, Head of EU Representation / Maritime Security Policy, German Shipowners’ Association
Maritime Aspects of Military Logistics – New Challenges
N.N.
12:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-14:10 Wildcard Presentation
N.N.
14:10-15:10 Panel 2: Maritime Domain Awareness & Multi Domain Ops – Above and Under Water
Moderation: Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, DMI
10 minutes per speaker, 25 minutes Q&A
New Trends & Technologies
N.N
Critical Undersea Infrastructure
Rear Admiral Christian Walter Meyer, Division Head Operations, German Navy Command
The Maritime Contribution to Multi Domain Operations
Major General (ret.) Mick Ryan, Adjunct Fellow, Australia Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies
15:10-15:30 Coffee Break
15:30-16:30 Maritime Innovation Challenge
Moderation: N.N.
18:00-19:00 Reception
Friday, 6 September 2024
10:30-11:30 Panel 3: Asymmetric Naval Responses – The Illusion of Low-Intensity Warfare at Sea
Moderation: Dr. Sarah Kirchberger, DMI Vice President & Director ISPK, Kiel
10 minutes per speaker, 25 minutes Q&A
Technological Responses to Maritime Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific Area
Dr. Jyh-Shyang Sheu, Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Research
Asymmetrical Warfare Against Conventional Navies
Admiral (ret.) Igor Kabanenko, PhD, President of Ukrainian Advanced Research Project Agency, former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine
Asymmetrical Threats: Drone Carriers – the Answer?
N.N.
11:30-12:00 Coffee Break
12:00-13:00 Panel 4: Trends in Naval Shipbuilding
Moderation: Heinz Schulte, DMI Board Member
10 minutes per speaker, 15 minutes Q&A
Trends in Naval Shipbuilding – A German Perspective
Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Head of Equipment Department at the German Ministry of Defense (positive response, confirmation pending)
Engineering and Design Trends in Naval Shipbuilding
N.N.
Application of AI in the Naval Shipbuilding Industry
Jonas Neustock, Team Lead Operations Artificial Intelligence at TKMS
13:00-13:15 Summing Up MS&D / End of Conference
Rear Admiral (ret.) Karsten Schneider, DMI President