Brooks Newmark at Sarajevo Security Conference

Brooks Newmark participated as a speaker at the Sarajevo Security Conference 2026, engaging with senior defence and security figures from Bosnia and Herzegovina, NATO, the United States and Europe. During his time in Sarajevo, Newmark held discussions with prominent defence leaders, including BiH Minister of Defence Zukan Helez and General Edin Fako, as well as other senior political, military and defence-industry representatives. The conference brought together around 300 high-level decision-makers and defence and security experts to discuss Europe’s evolving security architecture.

Engagement with Bosnia and Herzegovina is strategically significant as Europe seeks to expand defence production, resilience and industrial cooperation. BiH occupies an important position in the Western Balkans, a region NATO describes as strategically important to Alliance security, while the EU has continued to strengthen its defence co-operation with Bosnia and Herzegovina, including a €15 million European Peace Facility package to enhance the Armed Forces’ capabilities and interoperability. Its developing defence industry, geographic position and Euro-Atlantic orientation could make Bosnia and Herzegovina an increasingly valuable part of the wider European defence ecosystem and regional security architecture.

The Sarajevo Security Conference, organised by the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy in co-operation with the Sarajevo Security Conference team led by Dr Harun Karčić and Hikmet Karčić, has become one of the most important geopolitical and security forums in Southeastern Europe, bringing together senior policymakers, NATO officials, defence leaders and experts from across the Euro-Atlantic community.

More about the conference here.