James N. Mattis Lecture and Panel Discussion

Getting the Zeitenwende Right: Military and Society in Modern Germany

Germany’s Zeitenwende, the term introduced in a landmark 2022 speech by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to herald a major shift in Germany’s security orientation, was meant to bring a new emphasis on revitalizing national military capabilities and reaffirming Germany’s commitment to collective defense. Two years on, it is time to evaluate the progress of this shift and determine if sufficient progress is being made. What will it take for Germany to adapt its societal attitudes, its military, and its industrial base to address contemporary security challenges and establish itself as a military power? Led by Mara Karlin—former United States assistant secretary of defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities and current director of the Foreign Policy Institute at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University—panel participants will discuss the ways in which Germany faces a dramatically changed security landscape and how it is coping with growing external pressure to take on a more assertive military role within Europe and on the global stage.