Review: Applied Research for Defense and Security 2026

The event “Applied Research for Defense and Security 2026” took place in Bonn from March 3 – 5, 2026. In these times of geopolitical turmoil, defense and security are increasingly coming into focus. It is therefore essential to strengthen innovation capacity and practical research and align them with the future needs of the Bundeswehr, civil protection, and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) to ensure that we can continue to live in peace and freedom in Germany, the EU, and NATO.

Frank-Holm Rögner, a member of the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP, attended the event not only as an audience member but also with his own poster. In Poster Session A on Tuesday, March 3, he presented his poster on the topic “Requirement-Compliant Cleanliness of Combat Equipment and Logistics Under Field Conditions.”

In his presentation, he emphasized the importance of cleanliness in combat technology and logistics. He spoke about the challenges of cleanliness in field operations, the level of cleanliness required for combat technology and logistics, possible cleaning methods in the field, mobile analytics and cleanliness checks, as well as automation, future technologies, and the expertise needed to ensure well-founded cleanliness specifications. After all, even in the defense and security sector, the technical cleanliness of surfaces is of great importance for the operational readiness and reliability of equipment and technology.