Former United States Secretary of Defense William Cohen and his German counterpart, former Minister of Defense Volker Ruehe, proposed the formation of the Consortium as a jointly sponsored during the 12 June 1998 meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC-D). They envisioned that the Consortium, an activity "in the spirit of PfP," would "…strengthen defense and military education through enhanced national and institutional cooperation." Specific objectives of the initiative included increasing the number of individuals in government and private sectors with defense and security policy expertise, promoting professional military education in participating nations, encouraging collaborative approaches to defense education, and involving non-governmental institutes, universities and similar bodies, along with governmental defense academies and security studies institutes, in the activities of the Consortium. Activities proposed for the Consortium included an annual conference, working groups that would meet at the expert level, a website and a scholarly journal.

Federal Councillor Adolf Ogi of Switzerland offered to host the Consortium's First Annual Conference in conjunction with the Swiss sponsored Third International Security Forum, which was held in Zurich on 19-21 October 1998. At this conference, the Consortium's dedicated workshop had 125 participants, including 85 designated official representatives from 42 countries. On 18 December 1998, Councillor Ogi reported to the EAPC-D on the results of the conference. He said, "There was strong support for the future development of the Consortium." He also noted that, "… virtually all participants viewed the Consortium as a promising co-operative arrangement of national institutions that perfectly matches the spirit of PfP…." Finally, he concluded that through the Consortium, "… it should be possible to establish a meaningful and unique dialogue between institutes, academies, and alumni in support of an evolving Euro-Atlantic security community."

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and EAPC Summits, meeting in Washington, DC on 24 and 25 April 1999, endorsed the concept of the Consortium as part of an enhanced and more operational PfP. It was suggested that the Consortium should focus on civil/military education in national security and strategic-level military planning. Its aim should be to enhance multinational education through collaborative approaches linking defense practitioners, scholars, and experts into activity-based networks that facilitate information sharing. The Consortium was also suggested as a vehicle to extend participation in PfP to include universities and non-governmental institutes. Finally, a list of objectives was given. These objectives were: "…fostering greater academic and educational opportunities within the defense and security community; encouraging high standards for professional military education; promoting cost-effective education through collaborative distance learning and distributed training; expanding dialogue, understanding, and cooperation through security-related research in EAPC countries; and, exploring complementary relationships with institutions such as the NATO Defense College." However, it was noted that the Consortium's participants might further define these objectives.

Between the First and Second Annual Conferences, a series of working group meetings had begun to define the practical scope of the Consortium's activities. The efforts of this group were eventually enumerated in three statements. The first statement deals with the principles on which the Consortium is based; the second covers the operation and administration of the Consortium; and, the third specifies the location of the Secretariat. None of the statements are legally binding. Each of the statements emphasizes the concept that this is a "Consortium of the willing."

The Second Annual Conference was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Defense of Bulgaria and the Secretariat of the Consortium, and was held in Sofia, Bulgaria on 8-10 December 1999. The Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, Mr. Georgi Ananiev, was the opening speaker at the Conference.  There were 185 participants drawn from 41 countries and representing 140 organizations who attended this conference. The title of the conference was "Enhancing Cooperation in Education and Research in the 21st Century." In support of this theme, the Consortium sought to build on the foundation established at the first year's conference by accomplishing three main objectives. The first objective was to conduct practical work within six existing working groups. The second objective was to organize new working groups which, as with the original six, would continue to work collaboratively after the conference. Eventually, twelve working groups met during the conference. The final objective of the conference was to agree on the Consortium's statements. The conference participants accepted these statements.

One of the unintended results of the Consortium's endorsement during the NATO Summit on 24 April 1999 was a question regarding whether the Consortium was still an activity in the "spirit of PfP", as had been initially proposed, or was now a PfP activity and, therefore, subordinate to NATO. This question was originally raised during the Second Annual Conference. In March 2000, the North Atlantic Council reaffirmed that the Consortium was still an activity "in the spirit of PfP."

On 19-21 June 2000, the Consortium held it Third Annual Conference in Tallinn, Estonia. The Ministry of Defense of Estonia co-sponsored this conference with the Secretariat. The Prime Minister of Estonia, Mr. Mart Laar, gave the opening speech. The title of this conference was "Building a Strategic Community through Education and Research." As with the Second Annual Conference, this conference focused on the activities of the study and working groups. There were 206 participants drawn from 42 countries and representing 158 organizations who attended this conference.

Moscow State University co-hosted the Consortium's Fourth Annual Conference. The conference was held in Moscow, Russia on 25-27 June 2001. The title of the conference was "Building a Strategic Community through Education and Research." As with the previous conferences, this conference focused on the activities of the study and working groups. The conference in Moscow represented a significant step in the development of the Consortium. Over 450 participants and approximately 100 observers representing 280 organizations from 47 different countries attended the conference.

The French Ministry of Defense co-sponsored the Consortium's Fifth Annual Conference. The Joint Services Defense College (CID) in Paris hosted the conference on 17-19 June 2002. Over 350 participants representing 280 organizations from 47 different countries participated in the conference.

The German Ministry of Defense co-sponsored the Consortium's Sixth Annual Conference. in Berlin, Germany, 16-18 June 2003. Over 320 participants representing 300 organizations from 46 different countries participated in the conference.

In 2003, the Consortium governance structure was re-organized and a Senior Advisory Council created to give broad policy guidance. It consists of executive level representatives from major stakeholders, with the Executive Director of the Consortium as its secretary, and the Director of the Marshall Center or his designee as its chairman. Also created at that time was the Consortium Steering Committee, chaired by the Executive Director of the Consortium, which manages and oversees Consortium activities and serves as an advisory body to the Senior Advisory Council (SAC). The Secretariat became the Consortium Operations Staff, a permanent, international staff that provides day-to-day coordination, management and support to the Consortium and its activities consistent with the guidance and direction of the Consortium Steering Committee and SAC. An Editorial Board was created to oversee the publications program of the Consortium by capturing and disseminating the intellectual output of the study and working groups and bringing the best of the outside-PfPC thought and experience to our partners.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense co-sponsored the Consortium's 7th Annual Conference in Bucharest, Romania, 13-15 June 2004. Over 340 participants representing 320 organizations from 46 different countries participated in the conference.

The Consortium's 8th Annual Conference was held in Vienna, Austria, 12-14 June, 2005, and co-sponsored by the Austrian Ministry of Defence. There were 203 participants, and the theme was "Expanding and Enhancing the Partnerships: Further Steps after Istanbul."

The Croatian Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs co-sponsored the 9th Annual Conference in Zagreb, 13-14 June, 2007.  Attendance was 119, including 47 from Partner nations.  

In early 2008, the SAC agreed to an update to our mission statement, to include the following two pillars:  

•    Promote Defense Institution Building through defense education enhancement

•    Sustain Regional Stability through multinational education and research

The Consortium celebrated its tenth anniversary 18-19 June 2008 at its 10th Annual Conference, co-sponsored by NATO at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.  Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer honored the Consortium by providing opening remarks.  The theme of the conference was “The Next Ten Years; Leveraging Consortium Capabilities for Defense Institution Building and Regional Stability.”  130 participants from 35 countries attended, including 41 from Partner nations.

The 11th Annual Conference was held in Munich, Germany, 18-19 June 2009.  The Minister of Defense of Slovenia, Prof. Dr. Ljubica Jelusic, a former Consortium participant, opened the conference.  Attendance was 102, from 23 countries.

The 12th Annual Conference was co-hosted by the Polish National Defence University in Warsaw, 17-18 June, 2010.  Keynote speaker was Mr. Jacek Olbrycht, Director General of the Polish MOD.  United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. James Schear provided a vision speech.  Attendance was 128, from 25 countries.

Executive Directors of the Consortium have included Dr. Vic Stamey, LTC Kirk Murray, Dr. Jack Treddenick, Mr. Bruce McLane, and Mr. Henri Bigo.  Chairmen of the SAC have included Dr. John Rose, Mr. James Roberts, Major General retired Justus Graebner, and Dr. James MacDougall.