CMRC
Annual Conference on Civil-Military Relations

New Challenges for a New Era of Competition and Conflict

We aim to create a forum where scholars have an opportunity to present their latest academic work and military officers are able to develop policy-relevant solutions to the most pressing civil-military challenges today.

This year’s theme focuses on civil-military challenges in modern war. From advances in the space and cyber domains, to the advent of artificial intelligence, to new challenges in information, to domestic unrest and political violence, modern war will almost certainly involve new battlegrounds, faster decision-making, and more domestic instability. We sought papers that identify how new technologies, military doctrine, strategic competitors, domestic challenges, and other aspects of 21^st century conflict affect strategy-making at the highest levels.

This year, we have created a conference program that appeals to both the policy practitioner and the researcher. Our public day, held on Friday, May 3, will be broadcast live and recorded. It features keynote addresses and plenary panels with some of the top thinkers in civil-military relations today. The morning will be led off with a fireside chat with Ambassador Douglas Lute (Lieutenant General, US Army, Retired) on the future of conflict in Europe. Plenary discussions will then cover a number of topics that policy-makers and military leaders need to consider when operating in a new environment. From recruiting difficulties to the changing relationship between industry and the military, to a contested information environment at home, modern war promises to present novel scenarios that will challenge our current understanding of the relationship between the military, society, and political leaders today. The day concludes with a keynote discussion with the Honorable Michèle Flournoy.

The second day of the conference will feature a keynote address by P.W. Singer on the future of war, and its implications for civil-military relations. Here, researchers and scholars have an opportunity to present and workshop their own research and new ideas in a more traditional academic conference setting. Paper and panel proposals were submitted and accepted in the fall.

You can now register at the link above! To stay informed, you can also contact us at cmrc@armywarcollege.edu.