Reinforcing Military Leadership: Urging Every Army Commander to Invigorate Our Conversations and Debates for Collective Growth
Strengthening the US Army's Professional Publications During an Interwar Period
In a bid to stay ahead in an ever-evolving strategic landscape, the US Army is focusing on revitalizing and expanding forums for strategic-level analysis and discussion. This renewal efforts are particularly important during the current interwar period, marked by evolving threats and strategic complexities.
One such publication that will undergo modernization is the US Army War College Quarterly – Parameters. As a refereed journal, Parameters provides a critical platform for expert contributions on contemporary strategy, military ethics, leadership, and landpower. Emphasizing high-quality, strategic-level content and expanding engagement with military professionals and academia will enhance the intellectual rigor and relevance of these publications.
The benefits of renewing these publications are manifold. They serve as a vital resource for informing military and civilian decision-makers, helping leaders make more informed policy and operational decisions. They also support professional military education (PME), fostering an informed and reflective officer corps.
Moreover, these journals preserve institutional knowledge and historical perspective by including historical studies and analyses. This helps maintain continuity of lessons learned across periods of conflict and peace, enriching doctrinal development. They also encourage dialogue on emerging challenges, promoting debate and adaptation to new strategic environments.
Dedicated forums on current issues such as Indo-Pacific security and Russia-Ukraine conflict are particularly important. These forums provide a platform for open discussion and the exchange of ideas, helping the Army adapt to new strategic environments.
Furthermore, addressing military ethics and leadership through these publications reinforces the Army profession’s core values and standards. This is crucial in maintaining the professional identity and ethics within the Army.
The Army's professional journals, such as Army University Press and Military Review, have already seen significant improvements. Six months after adopting a modern, web-first platform, they saw a 60.1% increase in weekly visitors and a 54% increase in subscribers.
The Army is also seeking to strengthen its professional publications by attending to its institutions, experiences, and culture. The US Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) will lead the effort to reinvest in professional dialogue. The Army will experiment with volunteer editors to better connect its outlets.
The Army's professional publications need help due to fewer pages, less frequency, and less diverse authorship. The Harding Project is acknowledged for its work in renewing professional military publications. The Army will fix its archives to make historic articles searchable and accessible.
The Army needs ideas about where doctrine and school curricula get it right, need improvement, or are missing something. Branch journals are a place to share new ideas, ask questions, and identify challenges and solutions. The Army requires sharing innovative tactics, techniques, and procedures more widely than just within a unit or group of colleagues.
General Randy George, the acting chief of staff of the US Army, and General Gary Brito, the 18th commanding general of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, are leading these efforts. Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, the 17th sergeant major of the Army, is also a key figure in these initiatives.
The views expressed in these publications are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.
The Army's professional journals play a crucial role in informing the force, sharing lessons laterally, driving doctrinal development, creating an outlet for issues, and building talented communicators. As such, the modernization of these publications is a significant step towards strengthening the Army during an interwar period. The strategic environment ensures there will be plenty of work for the Army in the years ahead, with a pace of change so great that the character of war is changing faster than ever. The Army must stay agile and adaptable, and the renewal of its professional publications is a key part of this strategy.
[1] Source: "Strengthening the Army's Professional Publications During an Interwar Period" by Elisa S. Borah, published by the United States Army War College Press, 2021.
- The modernization of US Army War College Quarterly – Parameters, a refereed journal focusing on contemporary strategy, military ethics, leadership, and landpower, will enhance its intellectual rigor and relevance during an interwar period.
- Strengthening the Army's professional publications, such as Army University Press and Military Review, through a modern, web-first platform, has already led to a significant increase in weekly visitors and subscribers.
- The US Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) will lead the effort to reinvest in professional dialogue by experimenting with volunteer editors, aiming to connect outlets more effectively.
- Army's professional journals, like branch journals, are essential platforms for sharing innovative tactics, techniques, and procedures, fostering lateral information sharing, driving doctrinal development, and building talented communicators.
