From insight to impact
The Berlin ‘Wehrhafte Demokratie’ Congress is a technically sound and politically open forum for issues at the intersection of national security. It brings together intelligence services, the police, the Bundeswehr, civil protection, critical infrastructure, politics and the security industry.
The focus is on the issues that determine whether state security measures succeed or fail: How is information transformed into a shared situational picture? Who assesses threats and decides on responses? What responsibilities, powers, technologies and economic capabilities are required? And how can the state’s capacity to act, oversight under the rule of law and democratic legitimacy be reconciled?
The congress examines internal and external security, hybrid threats, total defence, critical infrastructure (KRITIS) and the development of economic capabilities in their interrelated context. New laws, institutions and technical solutions are not assessed solely on the basis of their stated aims, but according to their operational relevance and practical feasibility.
A vibrant democracy provides the political framework for this. It must remain resilient against attempts to dismantle it, whilst at the same time remaining open to change, political competition and new majorities. Existing policies and new proposals are assessed against the same criteria: impact, freedom, democratic legitimacy and practical feasibility.
Six areas of action form the structure of the programme. Key strategic debates, in-depth expert analysis and practice-oriented dialogues combine political responsibility with concrete experiences from public authorities, the armed forces, the business sector and society.
