About The Modern War Journal
The Modern War Journal (MWJ) is produced by the Modern War Institute at West Point (MWI) in support of MWI’s mission to generate new knowledge for the profession of arms, enhance the West Point curriculum, and serve as an intellectual resource for solving military problems. In furtherance of MWI’s three goals of research, integrate, and educate, this journal features content from academics, policy makers, and practitioners of the profession of arms—from the cadet level to senior military and political leaders—presented here with one goal: to help win tomorrow’s wars, today.
About This Edition
The theme of this issue—Innovation and Autonomy in the Future Fight—reflects a reality already unfolding. Artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and drone-dominated battlefields are not future concepts. They are reshaping combat today. They are compressing decision cycles, altering risk calculations, and redefining what advantage looks like on the modern battlefield.
Our task is not to admire this transformation. It is to lead it.
This edition confronts the implications head-on. It examines AI and mission command, innovation under fire in Ukraine, the changing role of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, and the institutional demands of human-machine integration. These are not academic curiosities; they are warfighting requirements.
Innovation does not equal advantage. Technology absent doctrine creates vulnerability. Speed absent judgment creates strategic risk. Autonomy absent accountability erodes trust—the foundation of our profession. The decisive edge will belong to leaders who can integrate new capabilities while preserving disciplined command, ethical clarity, and combat effectiveness.
At the Modern War Institute, we generate knowledge to improve how the Army and joint force fight and win. That requires intellectual rigor, operational relevance, and leaders prepared to think clearly in environments shaped by machine speed and persistent competition. It requires officers who understand both the potential and the limits of artificial intelligence. And it requires institutions willing to adapt with discipline and purpose.
The first edition of The Modern War Journal established this platform. This second edition raises expectations. The character of war is evolving rapidly. Our responsibility remains constant: understand it, shape it, and win.
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Submissions
The Modern War Journal is published biannually. The topic for the next edition and the call for submissions will be posted on the Modern War Institute website in the Fall of 2025. Selection criteria include clarity, accuracy, conciseness, relevance to the edition topic, and adherence to the submission standards.
The important work of The Modern War Journal is made possible by the generosity of the West Point Class of 1982.
