Modern War Institute

05/20/2026

"The specter of large-scale combat operations dominates contemporary US military professional discourse. A conflict against a peer or near-peer adversary like China or Russia will demand a profound shift in the US Army’s focus, training, and culture. To get ahead of this demand and effect this before facing the imperative of doing so under fire, senior leaders have rightly emphasized a single, vital attribute: lethality. But..."

The specter of large-scale combat operations dominates contemporary US military professional discourse. A conflict against a peer or near-peer adversary like China or Russia will demand a profound shift in the US Army's focus, training, and culture. To get ahead of this demand and effect this before...

05/02/2026

The Modern War Institute, in partnership with the Irregular Warfare Initiative and the Association of the US Army, presents Five Years Later: Remembering the Lessons of Afghanistan, a USMA Class of 1992 War Council. The event will take place on 6-7 May 2026 at the AUSA Conference Center in Arlington, Virginia.

This War Council is intended to complement the work of the Afghanistan War Commission by focusing on lessons for the US Army. Attendees are encouraged to contribute to the summer 2026 edition of the Modern War Journal, which will capture the lessons of Afghanistan for future generations of military leaders.

Updated dress code for all attendees: business casual
If unable to attend in person, you are welcome to join via Teams:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/218222574397441...
Link for Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/rQk2FAy8Gs

Please see the comments for a flyer with the latest timeline of events.

04/28/2026

"It was the twelfth hour of the planning cycle when our lead plans officer stood between a whiteboard and a map, pulled on a headset, and started describing a complex defensive operation. He talked through the scheme of maneuver in sequence—terrain, routes, phase lines, objectives, support-by-fire positions, transitions, branches. The intelligence and fire support officers interjected with detail where their warfighting functions were involved. Over a twenty-minute period, a transcription tool captured every word. Thirty minutes later, the staff had a first-draft brigade operations order in correct doctrinal format—drafted not by any officer in the room, but by an artificial intelligence tool trained on the structure of Army operations orders, working from the transcript of what the humans had actually said."

It was the twelfth hour of the planning cycle when our lead plans officer stood between a whiteboard and a map, pulled on a headset, and started describing a complex defensive operation. He talked through the scheme of maneuver in sequence—terrain, routes, phase lines, objectives, support-by-fire ...

04/21/2026

"A division major updates a common operational picture during a campaign in the Pacific. An engineer company leaves one mobile brigade combat team and joins another on a different island. A signal package shifts with it. The icon moves in seconds. The operation does not. The gaining brigade now needs lift, fuel, maintenance support, communications integration, protection, reception, staging, onward movement, and rehearsals. The losing brigade now needs replacement capacity or a revised scheme of maneuver. The sustainment architecture changes across distance and water. The task organization decision looked simple. It reshaped the operation."

A division major updates a common operational picture during a campaign in the Pacific. An engineer company leaves one mobile brigade combat team and joins another on a different island. A signal package shifts with it. The icon moves in seconds. The operation does not. The gaining brigade now needs...

04/20/2026

"In May 2025 I was assigned to the core team that planned the consolidation of three Army commands—Army North, Army South, and Forces Command—and the establishment of the new Army Western Hemisphere Command. As we worked through the command’s concept, we came up with something of an elevator pitch, telling senior leaders and stakeholders that the command would “mind the GAPP”—from Greenland to Attu, from the polar bears to the penguins. A new command would take on the responsibility of three separate, major commands, as well as take responsibility for the Army’s role in securing this vast area of responsibility. Why? History makes clear the innate strategic wisdom of this move, while the complexity and urgency of the current threat environment demand it."

In May 2025 I was assigned to the core team that planned the consolidation of three Army commands—Army North, Army South, and Forces Command—and the establishment of the new Army Western Hemisphere Command. As we worked through the command’s concept, we came up with something of an elevator pi...

04/07/2026

In this episode hosted by MWI's Charlie Faint, Retired Command Sergeant Major Curt Donaldson reflects on a career shaped by the 75th Ranger Regiment’s relentless standards, emphasizing that true leadership begins with genuinely caring for people while holding them—and yourself—accountable. He discusses the Regiment’s culture of meritocracy, where every Ranger meets the same standard and is continuously assessed, and explains how disciplined environments and strong leadership pipelines produce exceptional leaders over time.

He also describes the Regiment's fighting platoon sergeant concept, and his own rise through the ranks to become the command sergeant major of the storied 75th Ranger Regiment. Through stories from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, Donaldson highlights the importance of calm, decisive leadership in chaos, the power of shared hardship in building trust, and the enduring value of culture, communication, and personal example—lessons he now carries into mentoring veterans and his life after military service.

In this episode hosted by MWI's Charlie Faint, Retired Command Sergeant Major Curt Donaldson reflects on a career shaped by the 75th Ranger Regiment’s relentless standards, emphasizing that true leadership begins with genuinely caring for people while holding them—and yourself—accountable. He ...

04/06/2026

"The debate between expensive platforms that deliver exquisite capability and cheap ones that offer volume is not new. Defense analysts have been arguing it for years. Ukraine, however, has proved that you can have cost-effective platforms without sacrificing quality, at least for the kind of war NATO’s eastern flank is preparing to fight. The evidence is not theoretical. It is written in kill ratios, production volumes, and the wreckage of aircraft that cost tens of millions of dollars but did not survive the first serious attempt to contest the sky. Against that backdrop, Poland’s decision to purchase three MQ-9 Reapers for $310 million is a curious one, to put it mildly."

The debate between expensive platforms that deliver exquisite capability and cheap ones that offer volume is not new. Defense analysts have been arguing it for years. Ukraine, however, has proved that you can have cost-effective platforms without sacrificing quality, at least for the kind of war NAT...

04/03/2026

The theme of the next edition of the Modern War Journal is "reflections on security force assistance and the Afghan War." The call for submissions is below.

Many of our readers have extensive experience in security force assistance and/or Afghanistan, and it is our hope that they will consider making a submission.

About the 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 fu...

04/02/2026

In this episode, Cadet Zach Olson speaks with US Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard and Ukrainian Major General Volodymyr Horbatiuk about how the ongoing conflict in Ukraine illustrates a reshaping of modern warfare. The war is heavily characterized by rapid innovation, the widespread use of drones, and data-driven operations. As a result, its battlefields are more transparent, decentralized, and lethal than any before. The guests emphasize that while the nature of war remains constant, its character is evolving quickly, driven by necessity, technology, and the integration of civilian expertise.

The conversation also highlights leadership lessons, including the importance of mission command, adaptability, humility, and learning from failure, alongside the immense resilience of Ukrainian forces and society. Ultimately, they stress that Ukraine serves as a real-world laboratory for future conflict, and that militaries must learn from it faster than their adversaries to avoid paying a higher cost in future wars.

03/30/2026

"Over the past decade, the Army has taken the multidomain task force from whiteboard concept to operational centerpiece, emerging as one of the clearest expressions of how the Army intends to fight and win against near-peer adversaries. Designed to operate within an adversary’s weapon engagement zone, these organizations have become central to the Army’s continuous transformation, translating multidomain concepts into reality while simultaneously imposing real costs on adversaries. In doing so, they have reshaped how land forces contribute to deterrence, signaling that dominance in future conflict will not be earned by mass alone, but by integration, persistence, and speed across domains."

Over the past decade, the Army has taken the multidomain task force from whiteboard concept to operational centerpiece, emerging as one of the clearest expressions of how the Army intends to fight and win against near-peer adversaries. Designed to operate within an adversary’s weapon engagement zo...