John Adams Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis

09/28/2026

Intern Spotlight! This summer Cadet Parker Belle Fogle '28 interned in the George C. Marshall Foundation Research Library, where she cataloged the donated papers of Ernest Bell. Mr. Bell served in the German Military Reports Branch of the Military Intelligence Service in Washington, D.C. during the Second World War, and his papers contain copies of many intercepted Axis communications. It is a rich collection, and will soon be available to researchers because of Cadet Fogle's hard work. Great job!

09/22/2026

Intern Spotlight! History major Jamie Palacio '27 spent her summer digitizing several collections of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's declassified Top Secret Subject Files at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The records she scanned will be among the first full-text archival collections added to the Adams Center's Secretaries of Defense Records Research Assistant (https://www.vmi.edu/academics/departments/history/adamscenter/secretaries-of-defense-records-project/). Thank you, Jamie, for your invaluable contributions to our work!

09/19/2026

On Tuesday evening we co-hosted a discussion with Ambassador Alexander Yui, ROC Taiwan's Representative to the United States, on his country's view of current global security challenges. More than 240 cadets, faculty, and staff attended the lively, insightful session. Many thanks to and VMI Center For Leadership and Ethics, and to Col. Dave Gray and Col. Spencer Bakich for moderating.

09/18/2026

2026 Intern Spotlight! This summer, Cadet Evelyn Anderson '27 interned for the Corps History Division, Quantico, Virginia, where she worked for the Histories and Archives Branches. For the Histories Branch she produced a Battle Brief on Marine Corps operations in Fallujah, Iraq, and in the Archives Branch she assisted with a new, wide-ranging effort to digitize Marine operations orders. Congratulations, Evelyn, on a job wonderfully done - and thank you for representing the Adams Center, the Department of International Studies, and the Institute with excellence!

09/15/2026

Tonight!

On Tuesday, September 15th (8:30pm, Gillis Theater), come hear The Honorable Alexander Yui, Taiwan's Representative to the United States, discuss the Taiwanese perspective on current global security challenges and the longstanding U.S.-ROC relationship. We're looking forward to hosting along with our partners in VMI's Office of Global Education and the Center for Leadership and Ethics.

09/11/2026

We Remember.

Twenty-five years ago today, the world changed forever. The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shook the nation. Today and always, we remember the lives lost on that day, as well as those who were killed in the Global War on Terror. Among those include 15 VMI alumni who died during the attacks and on the field of honor. We honor their bravery and will never forget their sacrifice.

The following VMI alumni were killed during the Sept. 11 attacks and in the Global War on Terror:

Sgt. Ryan E. Doltz '00
Capt. James C. Edge '96
Sgt. Dale R. Griffin '03
Lt. Joshua C. Hurley '01
Charles W. Mathers '62
Cpl. William L. McMillan III '08
1st Sgt. Luke J. Mercardante (HBR '07)
Capt. Lowell T. Miller II '93
Capt. Michael W. Newton '03
Capt. Charles A. Ransom '01
Maj. Paul R. Syverson III '93
Capt. John R. Teal '94
Lt. Cmdr. David L. Williams '91
Gregory R. Wright Jr. '95
Capt. Luke C. Wullenwaber '02

09/11/2026

We're making buried treasures discoverable with our SecDef Records Research Assistant...and in the new phase of our work, we're starting to make whole SecDef archival collections available in full text -- documents like this: In 1961 Robert McNamara worried worried that civilian authorities did not exercise enough control over U.S. strategic forces. He charged retired Air Force General Earle Partridge with studying the problem and making recommendations. Partridge's full report has eluded historians. But our SecDef Records Assistant found Deputy Defense Secretary Roswell Gilpatric's copy, declassified and buried, in RG 330 at the National Archives! Head on over to our LinkedIn to see the whole 165-page document: https://lnkd.in/p/de7z4xT4.

09/09/2026

On Tuesday, September 15th (8:30pm, Gillis Theater), come hear The Honorable Alexander Yui, Taiwan's Representative to the United States, discuss the Taiwanese perspective on current global security challenges and the longstanding U.S.-ROC relationship. We're looking forward to hosting along with our partners in VMI's Office of Global Education and the Center for Leadership and Ethics.

08/31/2026

It's time for the 2026 Cold War Essay Contest! We invite innovative, unpublished, primary source-based scholarship from rising scholars (i.e. Ph.D. candidates to assistant professors with up to three years in their positions). Papers should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words in length, have a clearly identifiable thesis, and demonstrate the historical significance of the thesis. Papers on any aspect of Cold War military history (1945-1991) are welcome, including military strategy, plans, and operations; the relationship between the armed forces and society; international security affairs; Cold War alliances; and the connections between Cold War military history and contemporary geopolitical challenges; essays may embrace a U.S. or global focus.

First prize will earn a cash award of $2,000, a plaque, and publication in the Journal of Military History; second prize, $1,000 and a plaque; and third prize, $500 and a plaque.

Submissions are due electronically to [email protected] by Friday, Dec. 04, 2026. Please include a 200-word bio with your electronic submission and format your paper in accordance with the following guidelines:
- Submit your paper as a Microsoft Word document.
- Notes, charts, tables, and bibliography do not count toward the word limit.
- Footnotes should be numbered consecutively from the beginning using Arabic numerals.
We will announce the winners in early February 2027.

Questions? Contact Dr. Jochen S. Arndt, Professor and Deputy Director: [email protected]

08/27/2026

We’re proud to announce the public beta launch of our Secretaries of Defense Records Research Assistant! Check it out here: https://www.vmi.edu/academics/departments/history/adamscenter/secretaries-of-defense-records-project/. This innovative tool harnesses cutting-edge technology to make nearly 3,000 SecDef records series at the National Archives navigable for the first time. We’ll be posting more information about its features in the days ahead, so stay tuned!