Dossier
26th Foreign Policy Conference
Security and Defence in the Hybrid Age: A Collective Responsibility?
In light of escalating geopolitical tensions, hybrid attacks, and the climate crisis, the concept of comprehensive defence is coming into focus. Which lessons can international experiences offer? At our 26th Annual Foreign Policy Conference on January 29, 2026, we will discuss how democratic states and societies can maintain resilience and operational capacity in times of both peace and crisis.
Event
Program
1.00 – 1.50 pm: Welcome, Keynote I & Opening Conversation
Welcome
- Jan Philipp Albrecht, Co-President, Heinrich Böll Foundation
Keynote I & Opening Conversation
- Dalia Grybauskaitė, former President, Republic of Lithuania
1.45 – 2.00 pm: Short Break
2.00 – 3.30 pm: Panel Discussion I
Defence in (Pre-)War Times: From Deterrence to Resilience
- Agnieszka Brugger, MP, Deputy Chairperson, Alliance 90/The Greens
- Alexander Khara, CEO, Centre for Defence Strategies (Kyiv)
- Ong Wei Chong, Senior Associate Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore (virtual)
- Anna Wieslander, Director, Northern Europe, Atlantic Council
3.30 – 4.00 pm: Coffee Break
4.00 – 5.00 pm: Breakout Sessions
I) Zeitenwende – Fit for Our Times? Perspectives on Inclusive Comprehensive Defence Strategies in cooperation with Polis180
- Jan Müller, Federal Youth Representative, Association of Civil Servants and Employees of the German Armed Forces (VBB); Chairman of the Youth and Trainee Representation at the Ministry of Defence
- Konstantin von Notz, MP, Deputy Chairperson, Alliance 90/The Greens; Deputy Chairperson, Parliamentary Oversight Panel
- Irma Petraitytė-Lukšienė, Chairwomen of the Civil Resilience Commission of the Lithuanian World Community
II) Comprehensive Defence in the Climate Crisis: Risk Multiplier or Win-Win?
- Stefan Bayer, Head of Research, German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS)
- Kathrin Stolzenburg, Head of Division “Contingency Planning in Civil Protection and Civil Defence”, Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK)
- Karl Torring, Strategic Advisor, Strategic Policy and Planning Department, Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency
III) Energy Infrastructure Under Threat: The Risk of a Blackout
- Sylvia Borcherding, Executive Director, 50Hertz Transmission GmbH
- Annabelle Livet, Research Fellow, Foundation for Strategic Research (Paris)
- Victoria Voytsitska, Member of the Supervisory Board, “We Build Ukraine” Think Tank; former Ukrainian MP, Secretary of the Fuel and Energy, Nuclear Policies and Nuclear Security Committee (2014-2019)
5.00 – 5.15 pm: Networking Break
5.15 – 6.00 pm: Keynote II
- Benedetta Berti, Secretary General, NATO Parliamentary Assembly
6.00 – 7.00 pm: Panel Discussion II
Comprehensive Defence 2030: How Do We Prepare for Emerging Threats?
- Sebastian Gold, Head of THW-Connect, Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW)
- Christian Mölling, Director, Edina Defence
- Sara Nanni, MP, Spokesperson for Security Policy, Alliance 90/The Greens
- Annukka Ylivaara, Assistant Secretary General of the Security Committee, Finnish Ministry of Defence
