Ischinger remains head of Munich Security Conference for now

The current head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Wolfgang Ischinger, will remain in his job for a bit longer, he said on Sunday, as his chosen successor – former NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg – is not quite ready to take over.

Ischinger said in his speech at the conclusion of this year’s MSC at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich that his “good friend Jens Stoltenberg” would only serve as the next chairman “when he believes he can actually do it.”

According to the MSC leadership, it is expected that Stoltenberg will have taken over the leadership by the time the next MSC comes around in early 2027.

He was originally supposed to lead the MSC this year. Instead, he participated as a speaker in a panel discussion. Ischinger had already led the MSC between 2008 and 2022 and stepped in again for this year’s event.

Stoltenberg remains Norwegian finance minister for now

Stoltenberg was actually supposed to take over the top position from his predecessor Christoph Heusgen after the 2025 conference.

However, he stepped back from this plan at short notice after Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre asked him to become finance minister in his Cabinet.

In October, Stoltenberg joined the MSC foundation’s advisory board and stated that he would take over the chairmanship once his “public duties in Norway are completed.” However, he has not yet specified a date for this.