Munich Security Conference

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) is an independent, invitation-only gathering held each February in Munich, Germany. Founded in 1963 by Ewald von Kleist as the Wehrkundetagung ("International Defense Science Conference"), it was originally designed to foster transatlantic dialogue among NATO members during the Cold War. Over the decades it has expanded well beyond its NATO roots to include leaders from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as representatives from international organizations, civil society, business, and academia.

The conference has no formal negotiating mandate and produces no binding documents. Its influence comes instead from the concentration of senior policymakers in one venue, where bilateral sidelines often matter as much as plenary speeches. Heads of state and government, foreign and defense ministers, the UN Secretary-General, the NATO Secretary General, and EU leaders routinely attend.

Several MSC speeches have become reference points in international relations:

• In February 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech sharply criticizing US unipolarity and NATO enlargement, widely cited as a turning point in Russia–West relations.
• In February 2009, US Vice President Joe Biden announced a "reset" in relations with Russia.
• In February 2022, the conference took place days before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was dominated by warnings of imminent war.

Since 2015, the MSC has published an annual Munich Security Report ahead of each conference, providing data and analysis on global risks. Recent reports have introduced framing concepts such as "Westlessness" (2020) and "Lose-Lose?" (2024). The conference is currently chaired by Christoph Heusgen, who succeeded Wolfgang Ischinger in 2022. The MSC also runs satellite events, including the Munich Cyber Security Conference and regional "Munich Security Conference" meetings in other capitals.