2026 Annual Conference

​ISME Annual Conference 2026

Conference theme:  "Irregular Warfare Ethics"

Conference dates: 4-5 June 2026, with optional operational immersion opportunities hosted by the US Army 7th Special Forces Group from 6-8 June 2026 

Location: Destin–Fort Walton Beach, FL

Conference Venue and Hotel:  Hilton Garden Inn Fort Walton Beach. ISME has blocked a limited number of rooms for $260/night (two queen beds). Book online here or call the reservations line at 1-855-373-6897 and reference the group code: ISME.

Attendees interested in requesting or volunteering a ride share, room share, etc. should contact chris.kuennen@colorado.edu.

Additional conference details will be published as they become available. 

Registration:

Registration is now open for ISME 2026!

The standard registration fee is $185. Please use this link to register.

Students and active-duty military members can register for a discounted fee of $85 here.

Participants requiring financial assistance (e.g., graduate students with limited funding) may request a fee waiver by emailing chris.kuennen@colorado.edu. 

Call for Papers: 

ISME is pleased to accept papers focused on "Irregular Warfare Ethics." We welcome submissions from philosophers, social scientists, and other academics, as well as from legal professionals and military practitioners. Focus areas for this year’s conference are:

• Technology in Irregular Warfare: Exploring the integration and ethical use of emerging technologies such as drones, autonomous systems, and AI.

• Command and Leadership in Irregular Warfare: Developing effective leadership and decision-making frameworks for contested environments.

• Thresholds and Ambiguity in Irregular Conflict and Warfare: Addressing ethical and legal challenges in the "gray zone" between peace and war.

• Civil-Military Relations and Partner Force Dynamics: Navigating ethical dilemmas when working with partner forces or irregular actors.

• The Human Terrain and Civilian Impacts: Mitigating harm to civilians and addressing societal impacts in irregular warfare.

We also welcome submissions on any subject of military ethics, broadly construed. 

Submission guidelines:

• Send submissions to Chris Kuennen (chris.kuennen@colorado.edu) no later than 15 March 2026. 

• Please anonymize your submission and put "ISME 26 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—no later than 15 April 2026.  

Information current as of 22 April 2026