The mission of the association, which was founded in 1952 in Hamburg and today has its headquarters in Berlin, is to build an economic, financial, educational and politico-military "bridge" between Germany and the USA.

At the anniversary gala, former Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was awarded the German-American network's Eric Warburg Prize. With this prize, Atlantik-Brücke honours public figures in Germany and the United States who have contributed, in the spirit of Eric M. Warburg, to securing and strengthening Germany's place within the Atlantic community.

Previous laureates:

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel (2009)
Condoleezza Rice (former United States Secretary of State, 2007)
George Bush (former President of the United States of America, 2002)
Ret. General Klaus Naumann (former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, 2000)
Otto Graf Lambsdorff (former Federal Minister of Economics, 2000)
Veterans of the allied air forces (on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, 1998)
Helmut Kohl (former Federal Chancellor, 1996)
Manfred Wörner (former Secretary General of NATO, 1994)
Henry A. Kissinger (former United States Secretary of State, 1992)
Paul H. Nitze (American expert on disarmament, 1990)
Eri

c M. Warburg (Founder of Atlantik-Brücke, 1988)