Senior Navy and civilian defense officials from 17 countries and NATO met in Bremerhaven, Germany, for the 2019 Cooperative Strategy Forum June 4-5.

Co-hosted by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the German Navy, and NATO Allied Maritime Command, the forum addressed high-end naval warfighting in the era of great power competition. The event included presentations by U.S. and European scholars and military experts, and a table top exercise led by the U.S. Naval War College.

“Recent developments have demonstrated the importance of our navies generating and maintaining high-end warfare capabilities,” said Vice Admiral Stuart Munsch, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5). “The U.S. Navy’s goal in co-hosting these forums is to reach a shared understanding of specific strategic challenges with ally and partner navies, and to identify and advance collaborative solutions.” 

This year’s Cooperative Strategy Forum builds upon last year’s forum held in Copenhagen, Denmark, which addressed the evolving maritime security challenges in the Baltic region.  Previous forums took place in Honolulu, Hawaii and Naples, Italy.