A. Collections and Libraries

The Society for Military History Archives is held by the Richard L. D. Morse Department of Special Collections, Hale Library, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.

B. Programs

The society, in coordination with local hosts, sponsors an annual spring meeting and conference with panels representing the diversity of military history.

Past meetings include the 2025 annual meeting in Mobile, Alabama; the 2024 annual meeting in Arlington, Virginia; the society’s 2023 annual meeting in San Diego, California; 2022 annual meeting at the Omni Resort in Ft. Worth, Texas; the 2021 annual meeting at the Norfolk Hilton, Norfolk VA, hosted by the Joint Forces War College and the Joint Advanced Warfighting School; 2019 annual meeting at the Columbus Hilton, Columbus Ohio, hosted by The Ohio State University; the 2018 annual meeting at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky, hosted by the University of Louisville; the 2017 annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville-Riverfront, Jacksonville, Florida, hosted by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience and the Department of History, Florida State University; the 2016 annual meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel, hosted by the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum; 2015 annual meeting in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa, hosted by The Air University Foundation, Maxwell Air Force Base; Future meetings include Arlington, Virginia in April 2026 and New Orleans, Louisiana in April 2027.

C. Publications

The Journal of Military History, the quarterly journal of the Society for Military History, has published scholarly articles on the military history of all eras and geographical areas since 1937. The Journal is fully refereed. It publishes articles, book reviews, a list of recent articles dealing with military history published by other journals, an annual list of doctoral dissertations in military history, and an annual index. The Journal of Military History is published by the society with assistance from the George C. Marshall Foundation and the Virginia Military Institute. The Journal of Military History is available online from EBSCOhost. Headquarters Gazette is the society’s quarterly newsletter. The society maintains a Guide to Graduate Programs in Military History on its web site.

D. Fellowships and Awards

The society confers several awards and prizes. The Samuel Eliot Morison Prize recognizes not any one specific achievement, but a body of contributions in the field of military history, extending over time and reflecting a spectrum of scholarly activity contributing significantly to the field. The Edward H. Simmons Memorial Service Award is presented for long, distinguished, or particularly outstanding service to the Society for Military History. Distinguished Book Awards recognize the best book-length publications in English on military history, whether monograph, bibliography, guide, or other project copyrighted in the previous three calendar years. The Vandervort Prizes are awarded annually to the authors of the four best articles published in the Journal of Military History , and other scholarly journals, during the previous calendar year. These awards include a plaque and monetary prize. The Russell F. Weigley Graduate Student Travel Grant Awards honor one of the great American military historians of the 20th century and support participation by promising graduate students in the society’s annual meeting. The Jeffrey Grey Memorial Travel Grant honors the late Dr. Jeffrey Grey, past president of the Society, and is awarded to an outstanding graduate student who is enrolled in a graduate program located outside of North AmericaThe SMH/ABC-CLIO Research Grants are designated specifically to support the work of advanced graduate students and those scholars who do not hold a doctoral degree but are employed full-time as historians. These funds may be used for travel, purchase of microfilm or other research materials, photocopying, and similar expenses. The Edward M. Coffman Prize honors a devoted member of the society and recently-minted Ph.D. by granting an award to the best first manuscript in military history. The Allan R. Millett Dissertation Research Fellowship honors an eminent scholar and professor by awarding funds for doctoral dissertation research on a topic in any field of military history.