By German Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Mark Winkler
Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (March 3, 2017) – The Friends of the Marshall Center held its annual meeting March 3 at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

About 700 students from around the world study security policy at a university-level every year at the Marshall Center.

“As with any foreign stay, these participants from far and near want to learn not only about security issues, but also want to get an impression of the land and people of Bavaria,” said Professor Dr. h.c. Rudolf Faltermeier, president of the Friends of the Marshall Center. “This is exactly why there is Friends of the Marshall Center.”

The Friends of the Marshall Center were formed in 1996 and is an organization comprised of citizens from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, who sponsor activities for participants attending Marshall Center resident courses. These activities help participants, who are from around the world, experience the Bavarian culture while they are here.

The Friends of the Marshall Center hold its Annual General Meeting every March at the Marshall Center.

In order to carry out the new elections of the Management Board and to discuss the plans and the financial situation for the year 2017, Faltermeier invited the current 53 members to the Marshall Center for this Annual General Meeting. All the chairmembers were reelected for 2017.

The elected members led by the Chairperson Professor Dr. h.c. Rudolf Faltermeier, gave an annual report of the club’s sponsored activities and discussed plans for the upcoming year.  They also discussed the club’s sponsorship program where local people, even those who are not members, escort one or two participants while they are here.

The Marshall Center Director U.S. Army Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith Dayton and the Marshall Center German Deputy Director German Heer (Army) Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Johann Berger were guests at the meeting.

Dayton gave an update on what has happened in the past year at the Marshall Center and the schedule for the rest of 2017. Dayton said that he considers this a stock-holder report as that’s how he sees the Friends of the Marshall Center.

“I can’t begin, however, without thanking this extraordinary group of supporters of our joint German-American enterprise we call the Marshall Center,” said Dayton, who marked his sixth meeting with the Friends of the Marshall Center. “We are truly grateful for your generosity to our students that you continue to show.”