Welcome to the Society for Military History
Established in 1933 as the American Military History Foundation, renamed in 1939 the American Military Institute, and renamed again in 1990 the Society for Military History, the Society is devoted to stimulating and advancing the study of military history. Its membership (today more than 3200) has included many of the world's most prominent scholars, soldiers, and citizens interested in military history.
New SMH Annual Meeting Opportunity for Graduate Students
INTRODUCING “SMH (Grad Student) TALKS” @ SMH 2026 Annual Conference (Submission deadline 15 Nov. 2025)
- “SMH (Grad Student) Talks” are 5-minute presentations in which the presenter summarizes their ongoing research; two sets of up to ten presentations each will be grouped with time reserved for Q&A and discussion.
- Proposals should include a title and explain (in 300 words) the presentation’s topic and argument, and be accompanied by a one-page curriculum vitae. A subcommittee of the Program Committee will evaluate SMH Talk proposals for topic originality, research question, methodology, and significance/potential contribution to the fields of military history and national defense. Proposals will be evaluated individually but potential presenters are invited to list colleagues whose work complements their own and with whose presentations (if accepted) they would prefer to be grouped, and provide a brief rationale for the grouping (not included in 300-word limit).
- Send individual presentation proposals (with CV) as a single PDF directly to SMHMeeting2026@gmail.com with "SMH Grad Student Talk" as the subject. Deadline to submit proposals for SMH Talks is 15 November 2025. The deadline for all other panel, roundtable, and individual paper proposals remains 17 Oct. 2025.
GRIMSLEY FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Society for Military History (SMH) seeks a doctoral student in military history and who is a member in good standing in the SMH to fill its Mark Grimsley SMH Fellowship in Social Media. This position honors Dr. Mark Grimsley, Associate Professor of History at the Ohio State University, a widely published scholar and leading pioneer in military history social media and academic blogging. The Grimsley Fellow will serve a two-year term beginning January l, 2026, and receive a stipend of $2,000 per year from the SMH.
The Grimsley Fellow will join the SMH's Social Media Committee and act primarily to maintain the SMH presence on X (formally known as Twitter), Instagram, and Bluesky. Among other duties, the Grimsley Fellow will focus on posting abridged versions of notices that appear on the SMH Facebook Group, Facebook Page, and the SMH web site.
Any student of military history currently enrolled in a doctoral program — who is also an SMH member — is eligible for the Grimsley Fellowship. Please submit your application electronically to the SMH Social Media Committee Chair, Dr. Brittany Huner, at brittanyhuner@my.unt.edu. Applicants must submit:
- A cover letter including the applicant’s experience managing social media with a statement describing how social media can benefit and be utilized by the SMH
- The applicant's CV
- Written confirmation from the applicant's adviser that he or she is a student in good standing in an accredited program.
Organizations and entities interested in advertising on the Society’s main page page can find relevant information here.
