Military Innovation Studies Summit 2024
Welcome to a two-day event dedicated to exploring military innovation within the realm of war studies.
Swedish, European, and North American academics and experts will discuss military innovation from functional and pragmatic perspectives and will provide food for thought on topics related to, but not limited to, the harmfulness of military innovation for combat effectiveness; the lawful usage of autonomous weapons; the datafication of warfare and how conventional deterrence relates to military innovation.
The event is free of charge and open to PhD students, early-stage and senior researchers, military practitioners, and field experts. The summit offers an excellent opportunity to learn and connect with people who are deeply immersed in military innovation, hopefully leading to future research collaboration.
The event aims at enabling networking and cooperation so the number of participants will be limited to 40 people.
Register your interest to participate
Register your interest to participate below. You will be notified if you have been offered a seat no later than 20 September.
Program
Wednesday 16 October
Day 1: The Hot Stuff of Military Innovation
Room: Landqvist
9:00-9:10 Welcome and opening remarks by the chair, July Decarpentrie, Doctoral Student in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University
9:10-9.55 The scientific way of warfare, Antoine Bousquet, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Swedish Defence University
9:55-10:40 Military utility of future technologies, Stefan Silfverskiöld, Captain, Head of Department, Senior Lecturer, Swedish Defence University
10:40-11:00 Swedish fika
11:00-11:45 Data, attention and control - how digital technologies, datafication and related media practices have transformed war today, Matthew Ford, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Swedish Defence University
11:45-12:30 Big data, big opportunities - big data's application in war, Johanne Jensen Skeie, Associate Researcher, Norwegian Defence University College
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-14:15 Misconceptions about military innovation, TBA
14:15-15:00 When military innovation harms combat effectiveness, North American guset, TBC
15:00-15:15 Break
15:15-16:15 A snapshot of current research - 15 minutes per speaker
Room 1 - Landqvist
Moderator: July Decarpentrie
- Speaker 1:
- Speaker 2:
- Speaker 3:
- Speaker 4:
- Speaker 5:
Room 2 – Raab
Moderator: Agnes Termeer
- Speaker 1:
- Speaker 2:
- Speaker 3:
- Speaker 4:
- Speaker 5:
16:30-17:45 Networking drinks at the Mess
18:00 Summit dinner event
Thursday 17 October
Day 2: All Hands-on Deck!
Room: Landqvist
9:00-9:10 Welcome and opening remarks by the chair, Agnes Termeer, Doctoral Student, Swedish Defence University
9:00-9:45 How AI changes warfare and strategic competition - getting a deeper understanding of the relationship between information, organizational dynamics, and military power, Benjamin Jensen, Professor, Marine Corps University School of Advanced Warfighting (USA)
9:45-10:30 How do strategies of conventional deterrence relate to military innovation? Michael A. Hunzeker, Assistant Professor, George Mason University (USA)
10:30-10:45 Swedish fika
10:45-11:30 Ensuring lawful use of autonomous weapons - an operational perspective, Camilla Guldahl Cooper, Associate Professor, Norwegian Defence University College (Norway)
11:30-12:15 Let's talk about money - defence budgeting: emerging tech and how it’s chosen, Jacquelyn Schneider, Hoover Fellow and Director of the Hoover Wargaming and Crisis Simulation Initiative, Hoover Institution (USA)
12:15-13:15 Lunch
13:15-14:15 Moderated roundtables
- 5 minutes: instructions from the chair
- 15 minutes: opening statements from the moderator for their table
- 45 minutes: open dialogue
- 10 minutes: Q&A sessions and closing remarks by the table moderators
Room 1 - Landqvist
Timekeeper: July Decarpentrie
- Why do armies innovate?
Raphael Lima, Doctoral Student, King’s College London (UK)
- Use of artificial intelligence by armed forces
Alastair Finlan, Professor of War Studies, Swedish Defence University
Room 2 - Gripen DKV
Timekeeper: Agnes Termeer
- How are security and technology development framed in social sustainability narratives/practices?
Irja Malmio, Doctoral Student, Swedish Defence University
- Innovation management and value gained from a systematic approach
Ingrid Kihlander, Adjunct Professor, Swedish Defence University
14:15-14:30 Break
14:30-15:30 Mini-workshop: Discussing ideas about future research collaboration
Objectives:
- To explore potential research areas of mutual interest
- To identify common goals and objectives for future collaboration
- To discuss strategies for effective collaboration and resource-sharing
- To establish a network for ongoing communication and collaboration
15:30 Summit end
Note: If you wish to present your ongoing research on October 16th during the session 'A Snapshot of Current Research,' e-mail July Decarpentrie directly.