“Resilience does not mean preventing crises, but rather being able to emerge quickly from a phase of chaos and resume normal operations,” explained Colonel (ret.) Armin Schaus, who heads the Department for Civil-Military Cooperation within the Bundeswehr’s Operational Command. How businesses and public authorities can acquire this capability was the focus of Resilience Day 2025 at the headquarters of the Dortmund-based IT service provider Materna.
Materna CEO Michael Hagedorn set the tone for the event: “We are dependent on US service providers, and regulations such as the GDPR and the EU Data Act make it difficult to design resilient infrastructure and supply chains.” According to Hagedorn, companies must “learn from one another, develop ideas together and exchange experiences.” Whilst many practise for emergencies through simulation exercises, “when something actually happens, you realise that simulation exercises often fall short of reality.” Colonel Schaus knows what reality looks like, having already taken part in operations in Kosovo, as well as during the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley and during forest fires. Whilst the Bundeswehr is frequently deployed in disaster relief operations, this is not its primary task, said Schaus. Ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the very latest, national defence has once again taken centre stage – and on several fronts.
“We are facing a hybrid threat landscape comprising disinformation, cyber-attacks, espionage and sabotage,” said Schaus. The Bundeswehr alone fends off around 100,000 cyberattacks every day. To be able to respond more effectively to attacks, the colonel calls for clearer structures and lines of responsibility. All too often, valuable time is lost in the confusion over who is responsible for what.
“We are definitely not prepared for cyber defence,” sums up Andreas Könen, former head of the Cyber and IT Security Department at the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Confidentiality, availability, reliability and trustworthiness are at risk in the face of diverse external threats: “The digital space is tailor-made for the spread of disinformation.” Potential
solutions were presented by representatives from the business sector and retired Lieutenant-General Martin Schelleis, who now oversees crisis resilience and civil-military cooperation for the Malteser Hilfswerk.
Wulf-Christian Ehrich, Deputy Chief Executive of the Dortmund Chamber of Industry and Commerce, pointed out that the business community had already learnt to respond flexibly to crises in recent years: “Whether it’s Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic or a ship blocking the Suez Canal – businesses have realised that sustainability also means resilience.” According to Ehrich, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce is working to build networks and advise its member companies on how to become more resilient.
Retired Lieutenant-General Schelleis, for his part, emphasises, amongst other things, the advantages of a society based on the division of labour, as this allows everyone to contribute their strengths. However: “We must not wait for directives from politicians, but must take action ourselves as those directly affected and build networks,” was Schelleis’s appeal.
“I never thought I would one day be responsible for the issue of national defence,” admitted Dr Christian Terton from the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts. He sees “regionality and small-scale operations” as strengths of the skilled trades sector. He explained that the large number and diversity of skilled trades businesses make it possible to ensure the supply of goods and services to the population in a decentralised manner. However, Terton noted, the staff of these often small businesses cannot then be redeployed to other tasks.
Schelleis agreed and advocated deploying, for example, volunteers who are active in various organisations but also hold systemically important jobs, to where they can make the greatest contribution.
Carsten Krinke, co-organiser of Resilience Day, drew a positive conclusion: “As a family-run business, the Materna Group sees itself as part of society and wishes to actively contribute to strengthening society through events such as this. Companies and public authorities must independently identify risks and take precautionary measures to remain capable of acting even in the event of a crisis. Only by working together can we create a strong, synergistic network. With Resilience Day, we wanted to promote precisely that: the exchange of best practices and experiences. I think we have succeeded in doing so.”
