In a preview event the Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology trade fair (SMM) has presented details of the upcoming Maritime Security & Defence (MS&D) conference, taking place on 25 November 2025 at the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg.
Launched in 2009, MS&D has been held regularly as part of SMM in subsequent years. This year marks the first time the conference will be held as a stand-alone event, with a broader profile and renewed strategic focus. Its purpose: to bridge the long gap until the next SMM in September 2026 and to tackle pressing security and defence issues in the maritime domain.
With the Zeitenwende (the shift in German foreign and security policy announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in February 2022) in full swing, MS&D 2025 puts procurement front and centre. “Procurement must become a strategic instrument to ensure the operational readiness of our armed forces,” said Dr Klaus Borgschulte, Chair of the SMM Advisory Board. This year’s conference will explore how to accelerate procurement processes and make them more accessible – especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“Funding is in place and procurement frameworks exist – but many SMEs have no idea how procurement works in Germany and Europe,” explained Claus-Ulrich Selbach, SMM Project Manager. Vice Admiral (ret) Karsten Schneider, President of the German Maritime Institute (DMI), which curates the MS&D programme, added, “Lack of transparency is a major structural deficit in this sector.”
MS&D aims to bring together users, procurers and innovators in one room. “We need to connect procurement professionals with end users and give new companies a realistic view of how defence procurement works; that’s one of our core goals,” said Borgschulte. According to Lippold von Oldershausen, CEO of the BASED digital hub for security and defence, “Start-ups will find MS&D a rare opportunity: a direct line to decision makers in the Bundeswehr, government and industry. Trust-based platforms are essential to navigating this complex ecosystem.”
Around 120 experts from NATO, EU institutions, the Bundeswehr, industry and academia are expected. Speakers include Vice Admiral (ret) Joachim Rühle, Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki (MoD), Jürgen Scraback (EDA), Christian Pingel (NSPA), Sven Weizenegger (Cyber Innovation Hub), Captain Markus Gansow (Planning Office of the Bundeswehr), Prof Dr Thomas Klindt (Noerr LLP) and Lippold von Oldershausen (BASED).
International participation
According to the organiser, 125 of the 150 available places have already been taken. Participants include a high-level Danish delegation and attendees from several other European countries. Registration is open at www.maritime-security-defence.com.
Note: The next SMM will take place in Hamburg from 1–4 September 2026. With nearly 50,000 visitors from 120 nations and around 2,200 exhibitors, it is regarded as the world’s leading maritime trade fair.
