Begun in 1982 as the Multiplikatoren Seminar (Multiplier Seminar) and co-sponsored by the German Marshall Fund and the Armed Forces Office of the German Defense Ministry, the annual Manfred Wörner Seminar brings together 30 young Americans and Germans to examine German and European security policy and to discuss U.S.–German and U.S.–European security interests.  The Seminar serves to deepen understanding between participants from both countries and offers an excellent opportunity to broaden professional networks.

The ten-day program takes place each year in three German cities — Bonn, Cologne, and Berlin — and in Brussels, Belgium, and consists of meetings with experts on security and defense in both the German–American and European–American framework.  Participants are drawn from a diverse range of professional and educational backgrounds and, once selected, pay a $400 fee to attend the Seminar (covering airfare from Brussels to Berlin).  All other program expenses, including travel, accomodations, and meals, are paid by the German government.

In 2008, American participants included representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, the State Department, the Brookings, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Weekly Standard. German participants came from the German Council on Foreign Relations, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and the European Commission.

The group's program included briefings by senior representatives of the German Ministry of Defense and the European Commission. In addition, participants met with Ulrich Brandenburg, German Ambassador to NATO, Egon Ramms, Commander of NATO's Joint Forces Command in Brunssum, as well as Hans Ulrich Klose, Member of the German Bundestag and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.