CFP: International Society for Military Ethics

Conference theme: Military Ethics in a Season of Geopolitical and Technological Disruption
Conference dates: Thurs-Fri, 24-25 June 2027, with optional evening social on 23 June 2027
Location: University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

This event is supported by the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization and the Center for Values and Social Policy.

Additional conference details will be published as they become available here: https://www.internationalsocietyformilitaryethics.org/2027-conference

Call for Papers (Deadline – 28 Feb 2027):

ISME is pleased to accept papers focused on "Military Ethics in a Season of Geopolitical and Technological Disruption." We welcome submissions from philosophers, social scientists, and other academics, as well as from legal professionals and military practitioners. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Ethical analysis of ongoing military operations or possible future conflicts
• The role of for-profit corporations, religious institutions, and other non-state actors in contemporary military affairs
• Current and foreseeable military AI applications, including in decision support systems and autonomous weapon systems
• Contemporary challenges to existing normative frameworks for civilian protection, including drone proliferation, destruction of dual-use infrastructure, and environmental degradation
• Contemporary nuclear deterrence—including questions about hedging, weaponization, and treaty violation/denunciation—as well as broader questions relating to “weapons of mass destruction” 
• The evolution of legal practice and ethics in response to new technologies, changing international institutions and norms around lawfare, novel justifications for use of military force, e.g., in drug interdiction and territorial expansion, legal prospects for selective conscientious objection, etc.

Panel proposals are welcome. Typically, individual presenters are assigned to a small, topically aligned panel, with ample time to present and for Q&A.

Submission guidelines:

• Send submissions to Chris Kuennen (chris.kuennen(at)colorado.edu) no later than 28 February 2027. 
• Please anonymize your submission and put "ISME 27 Submission" in your email subject line. 
• Abstracts are acceptable, though full papers are preferred.

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel and authors of papers accepted for conference presentation will be notified as soon as feasible after the submission deadline--around mid-March.