Junior Ambassadors

As part of the MSC’s commitment to diversity and intergenerational exchange in the international security and foreign policy debate, the Junior Ambassadors program was launched in 2013. Running for a decade, the program offered dedicated students and young professionals aged 28 or younger the unique opportunity to participate in the Munich Security Conference. Junior Ambassadors have come from Argentina, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Based on an essay competition, three winners were awarded the "Ulrich Weisser Scholarship." The scholarship honored the memory of Vice Admiral Ulrich Weisser, who passed away in 2013 and who was Head of the Policy Planning Staff at the German Ministry of Defense from 1992 to 1998, author of books and numerous articles on security and defense issues, and one of Germany's leading strategic thinkers of recent decades.

The MSC continues to explore options for greater diversity and has established a range of dedicated formats, including its Munich Young Leaders (MYL) program and its Women Parliamentarians Program (WPP). Additionally, the MSC has intensified its cooperation with partners in offering a unique space for intergenerational exchange on foreign and security policy. “MSC @ Amerikahaus – Emerging Leaders” facilitates conversations between future and established decision-makers from around the world, and provides a forum for discussions of topics such as the future of democracy, (social) media and security, as well as the link between sustainability and security throughout the conference weekend.

All events of “MSC @ Amerikahaus – Emerging Leaders” are open to the public. The latest dates and details of the events can be found at MSC@Amerikahaus - Emerging Leaders.

Winners

Junior Ambassadors 2024

In the run-up to MSC 2024, the MSC once again offered young people between the ages of 18 and 28 the opportunity to become Junior Ambassadors. The essay competition dealt with specific proposals concerning the broad field of security politics:

Identify one concrete window of opportunity generated by current dynamics in international security affairs. Explain your choice, why it matters, and what should be done to capitalize on it?

Congratulations to our Junior Ambassadors 2024: Jackson Blackwell (USA) (106 KB), Joanna Moest (Germany) (140 KB) and Jaehyoung Ju (Republic of Korea) (67 KB).

2023, the MSC once again offered young people between the ages of 18 and 28 the opportunity to become Junior Ambassadors. The essay competition dealt with the implications of the war in Ukraine for international politics:

In a landmark speech on February 27, 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz referred to Russia’s war against Ukraine as a "Zeitenwende," a watershed moment. From your perspective, does Russia’s invasion of Ukraine mark the beginning of a new era in world politics? If so, what are its main characteristics? Or is there no "Zeitenwende" at all – and just more of the same?

Congratulations to our Junior Ambassadors 2023: Jacob Levitan (41 KB) (Master student, International Relations, Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C.), Gesine Weber (33 KB) (Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States; PhD Candidate, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London) und Timothy Chan Ying Jie (35 KB) (Master Student, International Affairs, Hertie School Berlin).

In the run-up to MSC 2022, the MSC once again offered young people between the ages of 18 and 28 the opportunity to become Junior Ambassadors. The essay competition dealt with unexpected or largely ignored security challenges:

In your opinion: What are Black Swans (unexpected security risks) or Grey Rhinos (present, yet ignored security risks) the international community should prepare for? Name one security threat and elaborate on possible responses.

Congratulations to our Junior Ambassadors 2022: Sloan Grissom, Tristan Leeland, and Noah Heineman.

Due to strict health regulations with minimized guest numbers at MSC 2022, the Junior Ambassadors 2022 were invited to MSC 2023.

MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger with the Junior Ambassadors Jiro Minier, Tatiana Valyaeva, and Benjamin Fogel.

As in previous years, ahead of its 56th conference in 2020, the MSC invited young people between the age of 18 and 28 to address a current and relevant political issue in its Junior Ambassadors essay contest. The topic dealt with security policy challenges in space:

Like the United States of America in December 2018, in July 2019, France announced its new Space Defence Strategy, framed as response to the growing military space investments by China and Russia. Globally, the proliferation of technologies like anti-satellite weapons can be observed.

Elaborate on the tactical and strategic implications of these developments. Which challenges and opportunities regarding the outer space do you see for the international community? How can the risk of an arms race and the further weaponization of outer space be mitigated? Formulate concrete policies.

Congratulations to our Junior Ambassadors 2020: Jiro Minier, Tatiana Valyaeva, and Benjamin Fogel.

MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger with the Junior Ambassadors 2019: Arshan Barzani, Laura Ulatowski and Bart de Grood.

In the run-up to the 55th edition of the Munich Security Conference in 2019, the Munich Security Conference Foundation organised its seventh Junior Ambassadors essay contest. The selection process was concluded in January 2019. The essay question was:

This year, many world leaders voiced their concern that multilateral cooperation is increasingly being obstructed. For instance, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas highlighted before the UN General Assembly: "It becomes clear that we are indeed faced with a crisis – the crisis of multilateralism." However, today's major security challenges – such as climate change, arms control and internationalised conflicts – cannot be tackled without sustained multilateral action. What is your novel idea for reviving multilateralism? Which concrete policies should be pursed to achieve that end?

Congratulations to the three winners of this year's Junior Ambassadors contest Laura Ulatowski (Germany), Bart de Grood (Netherlands), and Arshan Barzani (United States).

The selection process for the Junior Ambassadors 2018 was concluded in December 2017. The topic was:

These are uncertain times for arms control: Recent developments in the field of cyber warfare and lethal autonomous weapons pose new challenges. Moreover, a lack of commitment to renew and update established mechanisms calls the existing patchwork of conventional and nuclear arms control into question. What can be done A) to revive arms control for conventional and nuclear weapons or B) to extend it to new technologies?

Congratulations to the three winners of this year's Junior Ambassadors contest: Sandra Rau from Germany, Nicholas Barile from the United States and Dmitry Solovyev from Russia.

The selection process for the Junior Ambassadors 2017 was concluded in December 2016. The topic was:

Euroskepticism is on the rise across Europe. Over the past year, the idea of a strong, ever-closer European Union has increasingly lost popular support. However, 74 % of Europeans want a more active role of the EU in world affairs, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. In your opinion, which two policy measures are urgently needed to strengthen EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, but have so far not or insufficiently been debated?

Congratulations to our three winners: Ulrik Trolle Smed (Denmark), Vytautas Jankauskas (Lithuania) and Simon Engler (United States).

Junior Ambassadors

Winners

Junior Ambassadors 2024

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Winners

Junior Ambassadors 2024

Junior Ambassadors 2023

Junior Ambassadors 2022

Junior Ambassadors 2020

Junior Ambassadors 2019

Junior Ambassadors 2018

Junior Ambassadors 2017

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