Today the Marshall Center welcomed a new contingent of security practitioners to delve into Emerging Security Issues (ESI), a seven-week resident course running from Sept. 21 – Nov. 6, 2026, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Representing 15 nations, participants bring unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to discussions on some of the most pressing issues shaping modern security: space, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and autonomous systems, as well as developments in the defense industry, to name a few.

“We are going through all these technology areas together with experts to better understand the strategic environment,” said German Army Col. Oskar Baumeister, Marshall Center professor and ESI course director. “But it's not only to understand, it's to apply the knowledge in new contexts and analyze these emerging markets from the perspective of national security.”

As a new offering under the Marshall Center’s redesigned program plan, ESI prepares security professionals to operate at the intersection of strategy, space, technology, and geopolitics.

Weekly topics include space as a domain and how cutting-edge technology is fundamentally reshaping the character of warfare through competition and hybrid conflict. The defense industrial base receives particular attention during Week 4 through the lens of the Marshall Center’s Transatlantic Industrial Readiness Program.

“As members of the first ESI class, you will have a special distinction: you will become the first alumni of this program,” said Kay Brinkmann, German deputy director. “Throughout your time here, you will learn practical tools and analytical approaches to better understand these challenges and develop strategies that turn ideas into action.”

The course combines academic instruction, expert engagement, and practical application to help participants move from understanding emerging challenges to developing strategies and approaches they can apply in their home nations and organizations. During the two-week elective period, participants can explore areas of professional interest while applying skills developed earlier in the course.

Throughout the seven weeks, participants engage with faculty, outside experts, and peers to examine emerging challenges from multiple perspectives. Access to leading practitioners and experts across the security community, combined with the perspectives of an international cohort, helps participants build networks and relationships that extend well beyond their time at the Marshall Center.

“These are real-world skills that you can immediately apply when you return back home or to your duty stations,” Brinkmann said. “And when a crisis emerges, when uncertainty grows, and when the stakes are highest, you can lean on the relationships you build here as a bridge for cooperation, information sharing, and problem solving.”