The Study of War Thread (SoWT) is a multi-disciplinary effort embedded within the core Academic
Program that fosters cadets’ intellectual understanding of war as a human phenomenon. This knowledge
increases the effectiveness of platoon and company operations, enhances officers’ understanding of the
strategic and moral context of warfare, and provides a foundation for life-long learning for the Academy’s
graduates throughout their careers as military professionals.

 

An effective study of war must be a multi-disciplinary effort, as recognized by LTG (Ret.) H. R.
McMaster in an external assessment of the West Point curriculum:

 

“In general, the study of war and warfare across the curriculum at West Point might best
be approached consistent with Sir Michael Howard’s 1961 essay on how military
professionals should develop their own theory or understanding of war and warfare.
First, to study in width. To observe how warfare has developed over a long historical
period. Next, to study in depth. To study campaigns and explore them thoroughly,
consulting original sources and applying various theories and interdisciplinary
approaches … And lastly, to study in context. Wars must be understood in their social,
cultural, economic, human, moral, political, and psychological contexts because as Sir
Michael observed “the roots of victory and defeat often have to be sought far from the
battlefield.” History, political science, social science, philosophy, literature, geography,
and psychology all contribute to understanding war in context. And a critical element of
the study of war in context is the military’s role under the Constitution and an
understanding of civil-military relations.” (H.R. McMaster, “The Need for a Coherent
Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of War and Warfare at West Point,” 2012, p. 2)

 

One of the six goals for the Military Program at West Point draws from this same source, that graduates
must “demonstrate how to critically think about and understand war and warfare in width, depth, and
context.” (The Military Program (Greenbook), Academic Year 2020, p. 6) The Academic Program plays
an integral role in achieving this goal, developing each cadet’s intellectual preparation for the rigors and
complexity of combat while helping them internalize their professional identity as commissioned officers.
Preparing officers to think broadly and deeply about war as military professionals is essential for lethality,
readiness, and future service as strategic thinkers and leaders.

 

Structure and Courses

 

The SoWT is organized around the four fields of expertise described in the Army Profession doctrine:
military-technical, geo-cultural/political, moral-ethical, and human-leader development. Cadets progress
through a series of core courses building expertise in these four areas and then complete a capstone course
on Officership that integrates these fields of expertise into a coherent whole. The capstone course
emphasizes the officer’s role as a warfighter using historical case studies and current scenarios that
highlight the platoon warfighting challenges while always considering the strategic context that provides
purpose and a moral setting for their lethal actions. Cadets grapple with concepts such as mission
command, multi-domain operations, moral leadership in a complex environment, leadership/lethality at
the platoon level, and, when needed, disciplined disobedience to illegal or immoral orders.

 

The following table lists the core courses that make up the Study of War Thread:

 

Study of War Thread Core-Course Integration

 

Other Participants

 

In addition to the courses listed above, the thread will serve as an information sharing mechanism for
other stakeholders across the Academy. Such stakeholders include faculty teaching other core courses, the
academic departments, faculty responsible for academic majors and minors, the Department of Military
Instruction, the Brigade Tactical Department, the Modern War Institute, and other research centers. On an
annual basis, the thread can serve as a vehicle for developing common situational awareness of what other
organizations are contributing to the study of war and warfare at West Point.

 

Study of War Lecture Series

 

The Study of War Thread will include a lecture series that highlights how course-wide lectures
complement cadet education on the various aspects of war and warfare. The series will include events
such as the annual Class of ’52 Distinguished Lecture and the Combating Terrorism Center’s annual
Yearling lecture. Other annual events relevant to the study of war that are sponsored by different
departments and USCC will be considered for inclusion in the lecture series.

 

Thread Goals

 

The Study of War Thread, as part of the broader West Point experience, provides graduates with an
understanding of:

• how the military-technical character of warfare has developed over long historical time periods
• the relationship between the armed forces of the United States and the American political system
• the social, cultural, economic, human, moral-ethical, political, and psychological contexts of war
  and warfare
• the unique moral-ethical and leadership challenges inherent to war and warfare

 

Administration and Assessment

 

The initial co-chairs are Dr. Scott Silverstone (Professor of International Relations and Director of the
Grand Strategy Program in the Department of Social Sciences) and Dr. Jeffrey Peterson (Director,
Character Integration Advisory Group, Simon Center for Professional Military Ethic). The committee
will meet at least twice a year (about March and October) to facilitate communication, mutual support,
and to develop and execute an assessment plan. The co-chairs periodically report to the General
Committee to receive feedback on the SoWT and to present assessment results, proposals for changing
the thread, and any other issues related to the SoWT.