The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, in a collaborative effort with the Moldovan Alumni Association, held an outreach networking event at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova, Nov. 16, 2022.

The conference brought together over 45 Marshall Center alumni and was supported by the U.S. and German Embassies, with Ambassadors Kent Logsdon and Margret Uebber opening the conference, along with Dorin Recean, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Moldova on Defense and National Security Secretary of Supreme Security Council, and Igor Cutie, Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense. Retired Maj. Gen. Barre Seguin, Director of the Marshall Center, also attended the opening.

The forum, its 19th iteration since 2006, took place with the backdrop of Moldova’s recent nomination of candidacy for accession to the European Union.

“We want to help build a democratic, prosperous and secure future (for Moldova),” Logsdon said to the alumni in his opening remarks. “You all have a unique opportunity to help shape Moldova’s future for the better. I am confident that the links, the experience, the friendships that you have made through the Marshall Center and its alumni network will foster innovation, collaboration and cooperation across the government, the private sector and civil society as you contribute to solving Moldova’s most pressing problems.”

The event was held amidst rising aggression from Russia against Ukraine, a country that shares a long border with Moldova.

“The security and defense policy of the Republic of Moldova is determined by the principle of neutrality enshrined in the Constitution,” said Uebber. “Yet neutrality does not exclude the capacity of a country to defend its territory.”

“We are committed to assisting where you see fit in crisis management capabilities,” Seguin told the attendees. “We are committed to assisting to the challenges of irregular warfare and hybrid threats as we have seen daily here in your country with misinformation, disinformation and malinformation from an adversary that looks to undermine all of those common values that we share.”

The Moldova Alumni Association counts 10 current and former ambassadors, two members of Parliament and four Ministers or Deputy Ministers among their numbers. “Having visited many alumni events,” Seguin said, “few compare to the vibrancy of this setting and your commitment to a lifetime association with the Marshall Center.”

“It is a testimony to the fact that what starts in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is but the beginning and lasts over a lifetime,” he told the alumni gathered.

The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies has over 15,000 alumni from over 150 countries who have attended and graduated from in-resident courses in its campus in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.