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Write for Military Review: Suggested Themes and Topics for 2026
How Hungry Is the Bear? Assessing the Mobilizing Power of Territorial Ambitions
Col. Erik A. Claessen, Belgian Army
The wish to belong to a superior majority in a large country instead of despised minority in a small country is a strong sociopolitical motivator that renders seemingly prohibitive costs of offensive operations acceptable. Intelligence analysis should take this reality into account when assessing the probability of such operations.
Deep Battle and Deep Operations in Contemporary Warfare: Maintaining Momentum and Sustaining Operations on the Transparent Battlefield
Capt. Randy Noorman, Royal Netherlands Army
The proliferation of drones coupled with increased responsiveness of indirect fires has led to low troop density and dispersion on the battlefield, reinforcing the tendency toward frontalism. The development of suppressive assets needs to catch up to mitigate the advantages currently obtained by the defense.
Rethinking the Theory of Victory for the "Next War": Beyond Lanchester's Laws and the Modern System
Col. Takayasu Iwakami, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Responsible defense planning requires anticipating unforeseen contingencies and ensuring the ability to prevail should deterrence fail, but what level of relative combat power must be sustained during peacetime to ensure reliable success in wartime?
Forging an Engineer Regiment for Large-Scale Combat Operations
Lt. Col. Michael P. Carvelli, US Army
The Engineer Regiment must recommit to its combat engineering core. By divesting missions that do not support maneuver, simplifying force design, and reallocating combat power to mobility, countermobility, and survivability tasks, the regiment can increase its reliability and responsiveness for divisional maneuver forces.
Army Doctrine for Defending the Littorals
Capt. Daniel S. Hogestyn, US Army
The US Army faces a critical doctrinal gap in amphibious defense that undermines its ability to operate in maritime theaters, particularly the Indo-Pacific, where defending key littoral terrain is a primary mission requirement.
Security Cooperation: A Model Against Transnational Threats
Col. David Esteban Diaz Janampa, Peruvian Army
Peru should strengthen security cooperation with the United States to address transnational threats through three fundamental pillars: legitimacy in military results, interagency effectiveness, and institutional sustainability.
Unmanned Systems and Army Special Forces
Maj. John W. Kowalski, US Army National Guard
Increasing integration of unmanned systems into Special Forces operational detachment-alphas will help posture Army special operations forces to support theater operations and deliver strategic effects in future strategic competition through unconventional statecraft, maritime trade warfare, and distributed maritime operations.
Army Aviation at the Joint Readiness Training Center: A Concept for Optimization
Maj. Stephen D. Smallwood, US Army
The future of warfare demands a purposefully built Joint Readiness Training Center with an aviation scenario that is complex, layered, and thoughtful to serve as a realistic replication of large-scale combat operations.
Balancing Artificial Intelligence with Army Leadership Competencies and Attributes
André Nelson
Matthew J. Scott, PhD
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping military operations, offering unprecedented capabilities in data processing, situational awareness, and decision-making. However, integrating AI into command and control presents challenges that require deliberate adaptation of leadership practices.
Introduction to "Educating the Military Practitioner" Series
Col. Ken Gleiman, PhD, US Army, Retired
Col. Celestino Perez, PhD, US Army, Retired
Lt. Col. David P. Oakley, PhD, US Army, Retired
The "Educating the Military Practitioner" series will consist of multiple articles discussing civilian institutions, partners and allies, and professional military education institutions to help prepare military professionals for the challenges of modern warfare and strategic competition.
Professional Military Education Is a National Security Imperative
Lt. Gen. Mike Plehn, US Air Force, Retired
The seventeenth president of the National Defense University provides his thoughts on professional military education and its importance and value in preserving and advancing national security.
Augmenting PME: Why Partnering with Civilian Institutions Enables Additive Resources
Lt. Col. Kyle Johnston, US Army
Lt. Col. Shane Praiswater, PhD, US Air Force
The Strategic Thinkers Program uses a civilian-led format within the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies to develop officers who can think strategically and adapt to the unpredictable demands of modern warfare.
Teaching Design Thinking
Col. William Donnelly, US Marine Corps
Cmdr. Michael Posey, US Navy
The character of war today demands adaptive leaders who can navigate technological disruptions, contested logistics, disaggregated formations, deterrence theory, and unified action across the globe. To prepare such leaders, the US Army War College teaches its students operational design (also called design methodology), with emphasis on a grounding aspect of this methodology.
Echoes of Chivalry: Military Honour and Human Dignity in the Age of Professional Armies
Lt. Col. J. David Thompson, US Army
A review of a book by Francisco Labo that provides an in-depth analysis of military ethics.
Facts About the Purple Heart
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