Minna Ålander is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House Europe Programme, a Non-resident Fellow at CEPA Transatlantic Defense and Security programme, and a Senior Fellow at the Stockholm Free World Forum. Previously, she worked at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Her research focuses on Northern European and Arctic security, Nordic defence cooperation, NATO, as well as wider European security. Her expertise also includes German foreign, security and defence policy.

Dr. Stefanie Babst can look back at a remarkable professional journey in NATO's International Staff. In the course of 22 years she held different positions in the Public Diplomacy Division which she was appointed to lead as NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General from 2006 to 2012. The post made her the highest-ranking German woman in the International Secretariat. From 2012 to 2020, she led NATO's Strategic Foresight Team - a fabulous civil-military team, advising the NATO Secretary General and Chairman of the Military Committee on strategic unknowns and potential upcoming crisis situations in geographical and functional areas of relevance to the Alliance.

Stefanie began her career in 1991 as Assistant Professor for International Security Policy at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, moving on to become Professor of Russian and East European Studies at the Federal Armed Forces Command & General Staff College in Hamburg.

She is an internationally renowned strategic advisor, publisher and speaker on international security issues and board member of the German Council on Foreign Relations, the Danish Center for War Studies and the Norwegian Forum for Nordic Security Policy. Stefanie is also active in various security networks. She also is a very active Senior Associate Fellow with the London-based European Leadership Network. In recognition of her professional achievements, she received several state awards. In 2022, Stefanie was formally recognized as one of the Top 100 leading female leaders in Germany.

In April 2023, Stefanie published her thought-provoking book “Sehenden Augges – Mut zum strategischen Kurswechsel” (English title: Blind spots – Why the West must have the courage to alter its strategy towards Russia”) which has attracted wide international attention. It has also been published in Ukrainian and Estonian.

Sarah Bressan is a research fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin, where she leads research and advisory projects on strategic foresight, peace and security.

Sarah was the Eisenhower Defense Fellow at NATO Defense College in the winter 2024/25 semester, researching how NATO thinks about the future. She was the editor of the 49security debate platform on Germany’s first national security strategy and testified in the German parliamentary commission on lessons from Afghanistan for future civil-military missions. Her current projects cover the topics of foresight in security policy, violent extremism prevention and future-proofing EU security, democracy and enlargement against foreign malign interference. Prior to joining GPPi, Sarah worked in research and academia-policy exchange at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the German Federal Foreign Office, Freie Universität Berlin and Mannheim University.

Sebastian Bruns’ research interests include seapower, naval strategy, and maritime security. His current project is “NATO Maritime Strategies and Naval Operations since 1985”, a multi-year effort to explore the Alliance’s maritime and naval roles between the late Cold War and today. As CMSS’ founding father and serving as Head of Center from 2016-2021, he developed and implemented such formats as the Kiel International Seapower Symposium (KISS), the Baltic Sea Strategy Forum (BSSF), the “Dreizack” young voices in maritime research workshop, and the ISPK Seapower publication series (NOMOS). From 2021-2022, while on unpaid leave, Dr. Bruns served as the inaugural John McCain-Fulbright Distinguished Visiting Professor at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, teaching Baltic Sea security and U.S. naval strategy to Midshipmen in the Political Science Department.

Sebastian holds a PhD in Political Science (University of Kiel, 2014) and an MA in North American Studies (University of Bonn, 2007). As a German Marshall Fund/American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow awardee, Sebastian served Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) as legislative aide in the 112th U.S. Congress (2010-2011) in Washington, D.C., handling the Congressman’s defense and military policy and House Armed Services Committee legislative tasks. As the only non-American citizen, he was selected to contribute to a U.S. Navy research series on naval history and strategy (2016).

Dr. Bruns is the author/editor of seven books – i.e. “Conceptualizing Maritime and Naval Strategy” (2020), “US Naval Strategy and Security. The Evolution of American Maritime Power” (2018) & “Routledge Handbook of Naval Strategy and Security” (2016) – and numerous other publications. He is an avid fan of VfL Wolfsburg soccer, “The Simpsons”, road biking, and the epic music of Dire Straits.

CAPT (DEU N) Dr. André Pecher was born on October 30, 1971, in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein.

Dr. Pecher joined the German Navy in 1992 as an officer candidate and completed his initial training at the Naval Academy Mürwik in Flensburg. He studied history, educational science, and political science at the Bundeswehr University in Hamburg from 1994 to 1998. Following his studies, he underwent operational and submarine officer training and served as an operational officer on various submarine classes until 2005.

In 2005, he completed the field-grade officer qualification course at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg. He subsequently worked as a research assistant at the Helmut Schmidt University and attended the Joint Command and Staff Course at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Canada, where he also earned a Master's degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College in Kingston.

Dr. Pecher has held several key positions, including company commander at the Petty Officer School in Plön, military assistant to the Chief of the Navy at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Bonn, and staff officer for military history at the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Studies in Potsdam. He has also served as an advisor in various roles within the Federal Ministry of Defence in Berlin and at the Armed Forces Office in Bonn.

Throughout his career, Dr. Pecher has been promoted through the ranks, achieving the rank of Commander Senior Grade in 2018. He has received several awards, including the Gold Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr and the NATO Medal for Operation Active Endeavour.

Dr. Pecher is proficient in several languages, including English (SLP 3332), French (beginner/intermediate), Latin (advanced) and Spanish.

His academic credentials include a Master of Arts from the Bundeswehr University in Hamburg, a Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College in Kingston, and a Ph.D. from the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg.

Dr. Emma Salisbury is the Sea Power Research Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, and a Contributing Editor at War on the Rocks. Her PhD research focused on the history and concept of the military-industrial complex, and she writes widely on military procurement, naval strategy, and defence innovation in the UK, Europe, and the United States.

Lisa Thormann is a seasoned executive with a strong background in innovation and technology development. As CEO of NXTGEN, she founded the business unit at thyssenkrupp marine systems in 2023 with a mission to leverage available technologies for dual use in the civilian market. With a focus on addressing pressing issues such as munition clearance, energy transition, and protection of critical maritime infrastructure, Lisa and her team are driving innovation through the integration of existing and new technologies, including unmanned and autonomous capabilities, system integration, and software-defined solutions. Holding a degree in Renewable Energy from DTU Technical University Denmark, Lisa brings a unique combination of technical expertise and business acumen to her role.

Dr. Alix Valenti is a defence and security expert with over 15 years of international work experience. As a defence and security journalist focusing on naval procurement and strategy around the world she has published articles in a wide variety of defence media, including IHS Jane's, Shephard Media and Armada International; she was also editor in chief of Naval Forces for two years.
Dr Valenti also regularly works on projects for the European Commission in the area of justice and home affairs. She holds a PhD in Development Planning from UCL, where she studied the impact of international organisations on the institutional and urban reconstruction of countries after conflict.

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