Dr. Claudia Major is GMF's senior vice president overseeing transatlantic security initiatives and is an executive team member. Previously, Dr. Major was the director of the International Security Division at the German think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin. Her research, advisory work, and publications focus on the field of German security and defense policy, European security and defense policy (NATO, the EU, role of the United States), deterrence and nuclear (dis)order, and the Franco-German relationship. Currently, she is particularly focused on the repercussions of Russia’s war against Ukraine for Europe, the transatlantic relationship, the nuclear order, and international relations; options to end the war in Ukraine; and how to ensure the long-term security of Europe and Ukraine.
Dr. Major previously held positions at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zurich, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the EU Institute for Security Studies (Paris), the NATO Department of the German Foreign Office, and Sciences Po Paris. She was and is a member of various committees, such as the Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Prevention of the German Federal Foreign Office (2010–2024), the Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Defense on "leadership development and civic education" (Innere Führung) (since 2023) and the German-British Königswinter Conference. She holds a diploma from the Free University of Berlin and Sciences Po Paris and a PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK).
Dr. Major was made a Knight of the French Order of Merit (Chevalier dans l'ordre national du Mérite) and has been awarded the Estonian Cross of Merit.