Modern War Institute

Call for Applications: MWI’s 2026–27 Research Fellows Program

The Modern War Institute2027 Call for FellowsDeterrence in the Indo-Pacific The Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point is pleased to invite applications for our Research Fellows Program. MWI ...
Modern War InstituteOpinion

I Saw Ukraine’s Rapid Adaptation Cycle in Action, and This is What the US Military Should Learn from It

During my time in Ukraine I saw more than a country at war. I saw a defense innovation ecosystem in which the daily ...
Modern War InstituteOpinion

Strength vs. Confrontation: Do American Forces in the First Island Chain Deter or Invite War?

We are not going to get involved militarily in any way on the Island of Formosa,” announced Secretary of State Dean Acheson ...
Modern War InstituteOpinion

When a Good Base Becomes a Bad One: Battlefield Disposition and the Operational Campaign

Israel’s renewed military presence in southern Lebanon puts an old military problem back in view: Where should a force ...
Modern War InstituteOpinion

A Modern Trace Italienne: Rethinking Rear-Area Defense Against Drones

Throughout the sanguine annals of military history, very few truths have endured. However, one comes close: Advances in ...
mwi.westpoint.edu

We Shot the Wrong People: Autonomous Weapons and the Case for Human Judgment

In August 2009, my Ranger platoon was twenty hours into a twenty-seven-hour firefight in the Khowst mountains of Afghanistan. Three platoons inserted onto a high ridgeline in darkness, hunting enemy ...