International Society of Military Sciences

International Society of Military Sciences

Abbreviation	ISMS
Formation	October 22, 2008
Type	International Society
Legal status	active
Purpose	to further research and academic education in military arts and sciences
Headquarters	Baltic Defence College
Location	Tartu, Estonia
Region served	International
Membership	Austrian National Defence Academy, the Royal Military College of Canada, the Royal Danish Defence College, the Finnish National Defence University, the Netherlands Defence Academy, the Norwegian Education Command, the Swedish National Defence College, the Baltic Defence College, National Defence University of Warsaw and the Royal Military Academy (Belgium)
Website	http://www.isofms.org
Remarks	to further research and academic education in military arts and sciences

The International Society for Military Sciences (ISMS) is an international organization whose stated aim is to build a strong network for the creation, development, exchange and diffusion of research and knowledge about war, conflict management and peace support efforts. The ISMS was founded in October 2008. The Austrian National Defence Academy, the Royal Military College of Canada, the Royal Danish Defence College, the Finnish National Defence University, the Netherlands Defence Academy, the Norwegian Education Command, the Swedish National Defence College and the Baltic Defence College established this society with the intention to further research and academic education in military arts and sciences in the broadest sense.

Establishing the ISMS

In the summer of 2007 the Faculty of Military Sciences, Netherlands Defence Academy, started working on more international collaboration on an institutional level. Canada, Sweden and Austria were the first military institutes and universities which were approached for collaboration. Soon four other institutes joined in. In November 2011, the National Defence University of Warsaw and the Royal Military Academy (Belgium) were voted in.

Letter of Intent

The formal signing of the Letter of Intent was on October 22, 2008 in Copenhagen. That day the participating academies also decided to formally present the ISMS in November 2009 during its first annual international conference. The theme of this first conference was “Security in 2020 in a Multi-Polar World”.

Letter of Intent

1) The undersigned institutions of Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, and the Baltic Defence College (later referred to as the institutions) agree to establish a society intended to further research and academic education in military arts and sciences in the broadest sense. This association is titled International Society of Military Sciences (hereafter referred to as the Society).

2) The purpose of the Society is to build a network for the creation, development, exchange and diffusion of research and knowledge about war, conflict management and peace support efforts.

3) The Society will establish an annual conference, and one or more workshops per year. Activities include communications and publications to support a research network within topics such as: war studies; military history; military technology; command and control, leadership and basic competence; law and ethics; security and defence policy and strategy; armed forces and society; and defence economics and management. These are detailed in Annex A.

4) The representatives of the member institutions constitute the Council as the highest authority governing the Society. The Council elects a Board governing the Society. The purpose of the Board is to initiate and coordinate the activities of the Society. The institution hosting the annual conference provides the secretariat for the Society for the period of one year.

5) Society members commit themselves to organise and participate in various workshops, conference or working groups, with the understanding that they will endeavour to lead at least one working group or workshop and participate in at least two others. A tentative schedule of upcoming events is attached at Annex B.

6) The Society will be established for the four-year term in October 2008 upon signing of Letter of Intent by the institutions, and it is announced at the First Annual Conference.

7) The first Annual Conference will be held in November 2009. Invitations to participate in the Conference and to join the Society will be distributed widely. The Council will consider applications for new membership by compatible organizations annually. However, participation in conferences and workshops is welcomed at any time.

Annual ISMS Conferences

On October 21–23, 2014, the Austrian National Defence Academy will host the sixth annual ISMS conference. Tentative key note speakers will include Lt.-Gen. Wolfgang Wosolsobe, Director-General, EU Military Staff
On November 12–14, 2013 the Royal Danish Defence College in Copenhagen, Denmark hosted the fifth annual ISMS conference. The conference was themed "Adapting to Change" and was attended by more than 150 scholars and military practitioners from around the world. The keynote speakers included Dr Matthew Burrows, National Intelligence Council and principal author of the NIC-report "Global Trends 2030", and the former Minister of Defense from the Republic of Estonia, Jaak Aaviksoo.^[1]
On October 23–24, 2012, the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario hosted the fourth annual ISMS conference. The ISMS covered all aspects of military and security studies. The theme of the conference was: “Balancing domestic and international security requirement”, focusing in particular on the high north, civil-military relations and budget austerity. Presenters featured researchers, operationally experienced military personnel and policy makers. Both days started with a plenary session, followed by multiple working group sessions and the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with other researchers and participants.^[2]
On November 8–10, 2011 the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia hosted the third annual ISMS conference. The theme was "Adapting to Modern Security Challenges." Keynote speakers were the Lithuanian Air Force Commander Major General Edvartas Mažeikis and Dr. Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian Minister of Education and Research. The closing summary was made by Professor Žaneta Ozoliņa of the University of Latvia.^[3]
On 10–11 November 2010 the Swedish National Defence College in Stockholm, Sweden hosted the second ISMS Conference. The theme was the need for further cooperation in defence related research projects. During the conference, scientists and scholars presented and discussed their research on Military Education; State Violence; Challenges facing small states I relation to security and defence; The future of Crisis Management; Gender and violence; and Defence technology – management and development in smaller states.^[4]
The first annual ISMS conference was hosted by the Netherlands Defence Academy on 25–26 November 2009, at the Naval Barracks in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The theme was “Security in 2020 in a Multi-Polar World”. During the conference, scientists and scholars presented and discussed their research on conflict and warfare, ranging from the present conflict in Afghanistan to intelligence, military technology, and personnel management. Keynote speakers were Major-General (ret.) Patrick Cammaert, 2005-2007 Force Commander of the UN Mission to the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), Prof. Dr. Franz Kernic of the Swedish National Defence College and Dr. S.J.G. Reyn of the Policy Planning Staff, Dutch Ministry of Defence.

ISMS Fields of Research

The ISMS addresses the following fields of research;

War Studies
Military History
Military technology
Command and Control, Leadership and Basic Competence
Law and Ethics
Security and Defence, Policy and Strategy
Armed Forces and Society
Defence Management and Economics

ISMS working groups

The ISMS working groups are communities of research interest, with a lead institution, which dissemine knowledge within the community, and organize seminars at the annual conference.

War Studies
Military History
Military technology
Law and Ethics,
Security
Armed Forces and Defence Management
Military Medicine

^[5]

Sources

Official website
Group: International Society of Military Sciences
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich

External links

References

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