Working Group 1 War Studies
Military strategy, operational art and tactics, contemporary operations, conflict, future warfare, asymmetrical warfare, psychological operations, peace support ops, COIN, military support for civil authority, doctrine development, military theory and practice, lessons learned and identified, terrorism and counter-terrorism, organized crime, intelligence, military policing, international police operations, regional approaches, privatization of security, special forces.
Cholpon Abdyraeva, "Drone Swarms - A Future Threat to Armed Forces?" Finabel - European Army Interoperability Centre (photograph - Andy Dean)
Current Chair, Co-Chair and Contacts for Working group
Marzena Zakowska, PhD
Director of Global Affairs and Diplomacy Studies, National Security Faculty, War Studies University,
al. gen. A. Chruściela 103, 00-910 Warsaw, Poland
m.zakowska@akademia.mil.pl Facebook LinkedIn
Marco Marsilli, PhD
Center for Research and Development, Portuguese Military University Institute, Armed Forces General Staff. Also affiliated with Cà Foscari University of Venice, Italy.
info@marcomarsili.it Website
Mikael Weissman, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of War Studies, Swedish Defence University
mikael.weissman@fhs.se
Website: Mikael Weissman
Lars Henåker, PhD
Lieutenant Colonel, Department of War Studies, Swedish Defence University. Also at the Swedish Armed Forces.
lars.henaker@fhs.se
Website: Lars Henåker
Past Chairs:
- David Last 2008-2009 (Amsterdam)
- John David Young 2009-2012 (Stockholm, Tartu, Kingston)
- John David Young 2012-2013 (Copenhagen)
- John David Young 2013-2017 (Vienna, Helsinki, Warsaw, Oslo)
- Edward Lucas 2017-2018 (Oslo, Warsaw)
- Marzena Zakowska 2018 (Warsaw) - to present
Scope: the aim and purpose of the Working Group
The War Studies Working Group addresses war and violent conflict in all its aspects as the central business of the profession of arms. Traditionally, many of the papers focus at the operational and tactical level, combining contemporary experience with the broadening knowledge required by mid-career officers.
Questions of policy and grand strategy may also be addressed in working group 6, Security and Defence Policy and working group 10, Strategy.
Keyword descriptors
War, strategy, military campaigning, military tactics, military operations, naval operations, air operations, air force,
Topics addressed in previous conferences
Intelligence Engineering; Military Cross-cultural Competence; Russian Special Services; Comparative Strategy; Integrating Various Forms of Power in Conflict; NATO military scenarios; Multinational Capability Development Campaign; Psychotronic Weapons for Military Purposes; Mediation in Modern Armed Conflicts; Response to low-tech home-grown extremism; Innovation Theory and Military Operations Planning Process; Deterrence and Escalation Control as Components of Conflict Management; Integrated Multiplatform Approach to Joint Operations for Fighting Terrorism and Other International Threats; Amphibious Response as a Force Multiplier in the Nordic-Baltic Theatre; Assessing the Strategic Effect of Offensive Air Operations
Current Working Group Activities
The working group is looking for contributors to prepare an annual digest of new and influential materials, including books, journal articles, and research projects, for the benefit of participants and institutional members.
Dr. Marzena Zakowska is leading a book project on the nature of modern war - see blog entry, 5 March 2021 for call for papers.
History of the Working Group
This is one of the original eight working groups of the ISMS established at Amsterdam in 2008.
Related Contact information
Working Group 6 Security and Defence Policy, Laurenz Furst
Working Group 10 Strategy, Dirk Heinzmann
