What does a peace research institute actually do? What are its main areas of work and research, and how are scientific insights communicated to policymakers and the broader public? These questions were at the heart of discussions during a visit to the IFSH by approximately 30 international research fellows from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The young men and women were on a two-week study tour of Germany, visiting companies and scientific institutions.
Lieutenant Colonel Thilo Geiger, who has been working as a liaison officer and research associate at the IFSH since October 2024, provided the group of visitors an insight into the institute’s work. The research fellows were especially interested in the connection between peace research and the military. Alongside to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), the IFSH is the only German research institute that regularly employs a general staff officer from the German Armed Forces. Wolf Graf von Baudissin, the renowned founding director of the IFSH, established the position of "Military Fellow" in the 1970s. This institutionalized connection between IFSH and the Bundeswehr has been in place ever since. Tradionally, the liaison officer brings military expertise to the IFSH’s academic work and contributes to teaching in the Master's programme in Peace and Security Studies (M.A.).