As part of the 16th Women's Engineering Summer University at the University of Bremen, Liska Suckau gave a lecture on “Defense Technology and the Arms Industry – the Nexus Between Technical Research and Development, Social Responsibility and Arms Control” .

In her lecture, she gave a brief insight into the world of research and development of armaments – especially in the field of emerging disruptive technologies – and arms control. Over the last decade, Germany has been the 5th largest exporter of armaments, and the defense industry is an integral part of the German industrial landscape. In her presentation, Liska Suckau therefore explored the questions of what armaments are, who develops them, and who controls and regulates them and how.

The subsequent discussion focused on the topics of dual use, defense technology and scientific and technical arms control. In particular, social responsibility and how technology development and the responsibility of technology developers are linked were discussed – a topic not addressed in technical degree programs, although faster development and increased production of armaments and dual-use goods are increasingly being demanded by politicians. The Summer University for Women Engineers thus provided a framework for discussing idealism, ambiguity and compromise in relation to defense technology.

The Summer University for Women Engineers took place from August 14-29, 2024. It is organized every year by the University of Bremen.