Marshall Center Cancels May Events as part of COVID-19 Preventive Measures
By Christine June
Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (March 25, 2020) —The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies announced March 24 the cancellation of resident and outreach events through May as part of the preventive measures against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that the Marshall Center began March 9.
“Instead of simply postponing these events, we have decided to cancel,” said the Marshall Center Director, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith W. Dayton. “That said, we plan to review our schedule of courses and events from June through September, and may attempt to reschedule some of the canceled events.”
The events in April that were originally postponed are also now canceled, Dayton said.
“Our goal is to try to execute our highest priority events, but whether or not we can reschedule any events depends on a number of factors, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
The Marshall Center is a 26-year-old, German-American defense studies institute based here.
The College of International and Security Studies’ canceled resident events are the Countering Transnational Organized Crime – International Forum, May 5 to 7, European African Security Seminar, May 11 to 15, Global Alumni Counterterrorism Community of Interest Workshop, May 12 to 14, and Global Countering Transnational Organized Crime Community of Interest Workshop, May 18 to 22.
All outreach events that were to be held on or off campus in May are also canceled.
“We feel that canceling these events is the right thing to do to protect our staff and faculty, and participants and to align with the measures enacted by the Federal Republic of Germany and the 7th Army Training Command,” Dayton said.
This decision, as well as the ones to cancel resident and outreach events on March 9, 13 and 17, was in consultation with the Marshall Center’s German Element, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and U.S. Army Europe.
“Fortunately, there is currently no evidence of the coronavirus disease at the Marshall Center. Our intention is to keep it that way,” said the Marshall Center Director, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith W. Dayton, at the time of the first announcement March 9.
To date, there still has not been a case reported at the Marshall Center, Dayton said.
The Marshall Center announced March 9 the cancellation of two resident courses, and its Partner Language Training Center Europe followed suit March 13 with the cancellation of three courses. The Marshall Center then postponed two resident events that were to be held here in April, which as mentioned, have now been canceled, March 17.
“We will continue to monitor the situation, as well as our ability to support individuals should they contract the virus,” he said. “We expect things will become clearer in the coming weeks, and we will evaluate each upcoming event based on the information available.”
The Marshall Center is a leading transatlantic defense educational institution.
Operating since 1993 as a German-American partnership, the Marshall Center offers post-graduate courses, conferences, research programs, foreign area studies, and language courses to civilian and military professionals from around the world.
To date, the Marshall Center has an alumni network of more than 14,000 security professionals from 157 countries.
The mission of the Marshall Center is to enable solutions to regional and transnational security challenges through capacity building, access, and a globally connected network.