Munich Security Conference Brings out the Stars

The annual Munich Security Conference is a bit like the Oscars for national security professionals, except the clothing isn't as glamorous.

There is something of a red carpet, a press of media, crowds everywhere, the buzz of deal cutting and gossiping, all held in an elegant 18th century hotel in the heart of Bavaria.

German MoD Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and NATO SEC GEN Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

Walking the halls of the conference and attending the meetings -- which are streamed live around the world -- is a startling experience. You walk around a corner and see Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, President Hamid Karzai, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister David Cameron, Senator John McCain, Secretary Generals Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations and Anders Fogh Rasmussen of NATO.

Always run on the first weekend in February, the conference seeks to bring international relations professionals, academics, journalists, humanitarian aid leaders, and security specialists together for an open, transparent, and public conversation on the hot topics of the year.

This year, I was invited to be part of a panel discussion on Afghanistan. It was kicked off by President Karzai, and the panel upon which I sat included Dr. Spanta, the National Security Advisor of Afghanistan, Michele Flournoy, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and Senator Joe Lieberman from the Senate Armed Services Committee. It was a lively two hour session.

The panel for "NATO and Afghanistan: A Regional Approach?" at the Munich Security Conference, Germany. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

In addition to the pure security topics, there was an interesting exchange of views between the participants as to timing of transition in Afghanistan. Instead of the "normal" topic of transitioning military operations (which will begin this year and continue through 2014), this conversation was about transitioning other functions -- such as Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Private Security Firms.

This is an important issue. The Afghan government rightly wants to vest the leadership of these key functions (development and security) within the governance space of their administration. The international community wants to have a dialog about the best timing to accomplish this.

What's important is that the push to transition functions of governance besides security is underway. It is a clear sign that our Afghan partners are continuing to focus on how we can shift the key efforts in Afghanistan to their hands.

US Sen. Joe Lieberman, me, Gen. Stphane Abrial and Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola. Image by Sebastian Kelm SGT German Army

Munich is a superb venue for conversations like this. Other topics included of course events in Egypt; the future of missile defense in Europe; cyber security; and the need for European nations to spend sufficiently on defense (check out this superb speech by NATO Secretary General).

While there wasn't lots of free champagne flowing, it was a very exciting environment to move forward on the key international security issues of our complex times.

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe