George C. Marshall Center

👀A LOOK BACK. #GCMC's Black Sea forum was held in #Bucharest, Romania, March 20-21, with the topic "Changing dynamics in the wider Black Sea Region" and aimed to foster a collaborative discussion on potential avenues towards enhancing the security and prosperity of the #BlackSea region. Read more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/dTtMyr_s

✨GCMC Alumni facilitates forum with the President of NATO's (second) newest member at GLOBSEC🌍 🌐President Alexander Stubb of Finland sat down for a roundtable with the #GLOBSEC Young Leaders Cohort of 2024 over the weekend, joining a number of high-level officials to engage with the #GLOBSEC2024 Young Leader's Forum (#GYLF) program. Moderating the session was #GCMC Alumni Henri Vanhanen, who led discussions addressing the changing world order, Russia, China, and European security. Henri was a participant of our European Security Seminar - East (ESS-E 19-13) held June 10-14, 2019. 🤝Finland became the 31st #NATO member on April 4, 2023. There are now 32 NATO members with the accession of Sweden on March 7, 2024. ----

🌐LAST WEEK, we here at #GCMC were honored to co-host this event with our friends from the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) in support of their charge of advancing knowledge, building capacity, and strengthening partners. #DSCA #ISG #Serbia #PKO #UN #DSCU ---- Defense Security Cooperation Agency

🌍The best way to spend the next minute?🌍 Download the latest #GCMC #TransnationalWeekly & get up-to-date on #Securitychallenges around the Globe. 👇 https://lnkd.in/dURqXzT6 #GCMC #StrongerTogether

As we wrap up the 2024 Ohrid Regional Security Alumni Forum, we're reflecting on the wealth of knowledge and collaboration that took place over the past few days. 🌍 This year's forum brought together security professionals from across Southeast Europe, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Türkiye. 🔑 Key Takeaways: 1. Security Challenges & Euro-Atlantic Integration: Experts from both within and outside the region highlighted the critical need for stronger regional cooperation and accelerated Euro-Atlantic integration. Addressing external destabilizing influences and internal governance issues is essential for the stability of Southeast Europe. 2. Irregular Migration & Organized Crime: Discussions focused on the Western Balkans' dual role as a transit route and potential destination for irregular migration. The discussions emphasized the importance of tightening border security, enhancing regional cooperation, and implementing robust law enforcement strategies to combat the growing involvement of organized crime networks. 3. Extremism, Disinformation & Cybersecurity: With the rising threats of extremism, fake news, and cyber-attacks, participants explored proactive measures to protect democratic institutions and critical infrastructure. The need for coordinated efforts across the region was a recurring theme, as was the importance of countering disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining trust in governance. 🎓 Certificate Ceremony: Marshall Center Deputy Director, retired Brig. Gen. Timothy McAteer and deputy Minister of Defense of North Macedonia, Elfet Ismaili, handed over certificates to participants in recognition of their active participation and contributions, symbolizing their commitment to enhancing regional security through shared knowledge and cooperation. A special thank you to the North Macedonia Marshall Center Alumni Association for co-hosting this event and to the entire Marshall Center Alumni Network, whose strength and dedication continue to play a key role in fostering lasting peace and security in the region. Together, we are stronger. #OhridForum2024 #RegionalSecurity #Cooperation #Resilience #WesternBalkans #EuroAtlanticIntegration #MarshallAlumniNetwork

What are some key security challenges facing the Western Balkans? Yesterday’s Ohrid Forum panels provided an analysis of these pressing issues. 🌍 The first panel took an "outside view," exploring major security threats in the SEE region and the obstacles to further Euro-Atlantic integration. Moderated by Dr. Sebastian von Münchow, the panel featured insights from Dr. Bernard Finel, Dean of GCMC’s College of International Security Studies. Panelists discussed the need for stronger regional cooperation and the importance of addressing external influences that destabilize the region. 🔍 The second panel offered the "region's view", emphasizing the critical role of political stability and the fight against corruption. The discussion highlighted how closer regional ties could enhance security and expedite integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. 🛑 The third and final panel of the day tackled irregular migration and organized crime—an urgent issue for the region. Panelists examined the Western Balkans' dual role as a transit route and a potential destination for irregular migration. The conversation stressed the growing involvement of organized crime and external actors in exploiting these migration flows. Proposed solutions included tighter border security, enhanced regional cooperation, and stronger law enforcement strategies. 👉 What are your thoughts on these discussions? #OhridForum2024 #WesternBalkans #SecurityChallenges #RegionalCooperation

🌍GCMC ALUMNI, EN MASSE. This 19th edition of GLOBSEC saw over 50+ Marshall Center Alumni from 17 nations attend, representing all levels of governments and across the private sector. 🌎If you're counting, you'll notice not all 50 are pictured here. The nature of GLOBSEC – with multiple events happening simultaneously at any given time – makes it a challenge to get everyone together in one place for a photo. But rest assured, the network here at #GLOBSEC2024 has never been stronger with representation on several high-level panels, closed door seminars, and bilateral dialogue discussions. Our Alumni are the senior policymakers and military officers, the career civil servants from dozens of ministries, and titans of industry in the security sector. 🌏No doubt, the #GCMC Alumni attending #GLOBSEC are the movers and shakers in international security here at the Forum, which aims to underscore Central and Eastern Europe’s growing significance in upholding global stability, proving our Alumni are indeed our greatest outcome. 🌐To learn more on Marshall Center Alumni and/or how to become one, visit https://ow.ly/4ShN50TbFVq ----

🌍 The George C. Marshall Center and the North Macedonia Alumni Association have officially launched the 2024 Ohrid Regional Security Alumni Forum, now in its 12th year! This year’s forum gathers over 50 security professionals from 13 countries across Southeast Europe to tackle the region’s most pressing challenges. 🇲🇰 🔍Under the theme "Security Challenges in Southeast Europe: Building Resilience through Cooperation," the forum fosters deeper regional cooperation to enhance stability and counter complex hybrid threats. 🗨️In his opening remarks, retired Brig. Gen. Timothy McAteer, Marshall Center Deputy Director, emphasized the importance of resilience in the face of global strategic competition. Minister of Interior Panche Tashkovski highlighted the forum's critical role in fostering international stability, while Ms. Biljana Popovska, President of the North Macedonia Alumni Association, talked about the power of the alumni network in advancing regional security. The forum runs until Sep. 3, with discussions and workshops focused on building a stronger, more resilient Southeast Europe in the context of strategic competition. 🤝 #MarshallCenter #SecurityForum #OhridForum2024 #RegionalCooperation #SoutheastEurope #EuroAtlanticPartnership

ACADEMIC RECONNECTIONS! On his way to the Ohrid Forum, the Marshall Center’s annual conference for Southeast European alumni, GCMC’s faculty member Dr. Sebastian von Münchow made a visit to the University of Tetovo 🎓. Invited by University Rector Prof. Dr. Jusuf Zejneli, von Münchow reconnected with the institution where he has occasionally co-taught EU law alongside Dr. Ilber Sela, North Macedonia’s Ambassador in Berlin 🇲🇰. The meeting focused on Tetovo’s integration into international programs like ERASMUS 🌍 and the bilateral cooperation efforts. Tetovo University has produced many students who have gone on to play key roles in North Macedonia’s security sector, including Marshall Center alumni like Dr. Bekim Maksuti, former Deputy Minister of Defense, and Dr. Shefik Shehu, ex-Pro-Rector for International Cooperation 🔐. #MarshallCenter #UniversityOfTetovo #SecurityEducation #OhridForum2024 #ERASMUS ✨

✨WHEN STARS ALIGN. This morning, three #GCMC Alumni appeared on GLOBSEC's panel titled Tomorrow’s Threats, Today’s Priorities: Setting the EU’s Defense Strategy. 🌍Greek Minister of Defense Nikolaus Dendias, Former Slovak Minister of Defense Martin Sklenár, and Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council Anna Wieslander served as experts in the respective fields on European security. 🌐Luckily, if you missed this incredible #GLOBSEC2024 panel you can still view it here: https://ow.ly/GU2x50Tbr7I Photo credit: GLOBSEC -----