Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Europe’s defense reckoning

Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been at the center of European and global politics for over three decades, serving as NATO Secretary General (2009–2014), Prime Minister of Denmark (2001–2009), and Danish Minister of Economic Affairs. Elected to the Danish Parliament in 1978 at age 25, he later became Minister for Taxation and led Denmark’s EU Economic and Monetary Union negotiations. As Prime Minister, he reformed tax and pension systems, promoted education and innovation, and positioned Denmark as a key player in global security and democracy promotion. His government was re-elected in 2005 and 2007. As NATO’s 12th Secretary General, Rasmussen led operations across three continents, including Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Libya. He introduced the Strategic Concept to define NATO’s priorities, launched “Smart Defence” to optimize resources, and responded to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine with a strengthened collective defense strategy. After leaving NATO, he founded Rasmussen Global, advising on international security, transatlantic relations, AI, and cyber security. He served as an adviser to Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and later to Citigroup. In 2017, he launched the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, hosting the annual Copenhagen Democracy Summit with global leaders. He also co-founded the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity to combat foreign interference in democratic elections.

Daniel Seidel is a German space engineer and Co-CEO of LiveEO, an earth observation company he co-founded in 2018. LiveEO leverages satellite data to monitor critical infrastructure and now operates across five continents, overseeing over 100,000 kilometers of powerlines, pipelines, and railways with a team of more than 140 employees.