As we as a World honor and recognize June 6, 1944, the biggest sacrifice and biggest victory of World War II – DDAY. That changed the momentum of World War II, the unsung leader behind General Eisenhower, was General George C. Marshall. The DDAY invasion moved 15 Divisions of Equipment and manpower and an additional 24 Divisions of Equipment that put the material, equipment, and manpower on the European Continent to Win World War II.
General George C. Marshall is recognized as the organizer of the Allied victory in World War II and the organizer of the post War World War II World Order that we live by today. General Marshall was the architect of the European Recovery Program (the Marshall Plan) that changed the face of the World and Europe.
Amid his extraordinary accomplishments, General Marshall was most appreciated and beloved for his leadership contributions to the efforts and development of the United States, Allied Nations and defeated Nations of World War II during some of the most significant events in modern history. His legacy is remarkable, from the magnitude of what he accomplished and from his traits and principles of incorruptible, selfless integrity with which he led and served by.
MDAA got an opportunity to honor and recognize these accomplishments at our recent visit to the Marshall Center in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany at the end of May. This was not our first visit, we have visited the Marshall Center as our collaboration together over the past decades has occurred at key points in the Center’s evolution.
The Marshall Center Timeline:
· The U.S. established an intelligence school in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the close of WW II.
· The facility becomes the U.S. Army Russia Institute (USARI) 1964 through 1993 and it studied Soviet military and political affairs during the Cold War. It quickly became the intellectual training ground for NATO officers against the USSR.
· The Center has a rich Cold War history as it served to protect Western Europe against Soviet expansion along the Iron Curtain.
· USC Professor and SALT I Negotiator Dr William Van Cleave serves as lecturer to the USARI and Marshall Center during the 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s
· As a Guest and Student of Dr William Van Cleave, Riki Ellison advocated for Missile Defense to the USARI and Marshall Center during the decades. With the announcement of SDI in 1983 and its evolution implementation as well as the President George W Bush’s withdrawal from the ABM Treaty in 2002 to include the deployment of Missile Defense in Europe, the Marshall Center was a critical advocacy developer for Missile Defense for Europe and the new Eastern Front NATO Nations.
· After the Cold War, EUCOM began developing proposals to expand defense contacts with emerging democracies in Central/Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Defense specialists identified the need for a dedicated post-Cold War security institution and USARI became a formal element of EUCOM in 1992.
· USAFRI became the Marshall Institute June 5, 1993- the same day as Marshall’s Harvard Address, outlining the Marshall plan to rebuild Europe after the Cold War
· As a Guest of the Marshall Center, Riki Ellison helped to lead the advocacy of ICBM Ground Based Interceptors (GBIs) and Ballistic Missile Defense Radars to be operational deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic
· The Marshall Center role continued to evolve with its post 9-11 counterterrorism work in Europe and beyond
· In the 2010s the Center formed a Cyber Security and established the Program on Cyber Security Studies (PCSS).
· As a Guest of the Marshall Center, Riki Ellison helped to lead the advocacy of President Barack Obama’s European Phased Adaptive Approach with Aegis Ashore sites operational deployed in Poland and Romania.
· The George C. Marshall European Center For Security Studies played a key role in analyzing the Russia/Ukraine war and its current state
· In April 2026 the Marshall Center launched a new “European-Led Defense” course focused on how nations build and apply strategy to deliver measurable security outcomes, reflecting the shift toward European burden-sharing Link
· As a Guest and longtime friend and supporter of the Marshall Center, Riki Ellison led the advocacy of the Eastern Flank Deterrent Initiative to the Marshall Center at the end of May, 2026.
MDAA is honored to acknowledge George C. Marshall’s legacy of World leadership and accomplishments and selfless integrity to make the Europe and the World a Safer and more Secure place.
We value our continued historic connection to the Marshall Center, and we are looking forward to continuing collaboration with the Marshall Center as we Educate, Illuminate and Advocate for Missile Defense to make Europe a safer place.
Winners Associate With Winners to Win!
Fight On!