Purpose

The overall objectives of the War, Peace, and Justice Symposium (WPJS) are to increase civil-military interaction by maximizing community involvement and help the nation’s citizenry better understand the impact of conflict and the use of force on society. The theme of the symposium, War Amongst the People (Smith, 2005), is derived from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant program, Dialogues on the Experience of War, which is part of the larger NEH initiative, Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War.

Key Points

• The WPJS is scheduled for September 20-24, 2021 in Carlisle, PA. It will be followed by sustained community discussions over a 12-month period. Access to all events will be free and open to the public.

• The symposium sessions will include moderated film presentations with panel discussions to maximize civilian-military interaction between members of the Carlisle and surrounding communities, all students, and U.S. Army War College (USAWC), Penn State University Dickinson Law, and Dickinson College staff and faculty. The proposed topics for discussion focus on significant and relevant national security issues to include: the nature of war; the French and Indian War (as a case study); the moral, political, and economic costs associated with almost two decades of involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq; future threats and conflict; combat psychological trauma; and protection of civilians.

• The cost of the symposium will be defrayed through grants including the NEH (Dialogues on the Experience of War), if awarded, and potential private funding sources. These funds will help pay for anticipated costs including film permission rights, lodging, transportation, and honoraria for invited keynote speakers, moderators, and panelists.

• The WPJS is being developed in partnership with the USAWC, Dickinson College, Penn State University Dickinson Law, the Cumberland County Historical Society, and the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA); and is supported by the sponsorship of the Cor Christi Institute, Inc. a 501(c)(3) organization.

Discussion

Policy makers and military professionals must be clearly aware of the strengths, limitations, and costs, especially the costs in national blood and treasure, of the employment of military forces given the nature of current and future threats. The dialogue between those responsible for crafting grand strategy and those responsible for conducting military operations must be transparent to the U.S. public. Failure to accomplish this violates the social contract between the nation’s leadership, its public servants, and those they serve: the American citizenry who provide their sons and daughters in the service to this nation.

Prepared by Sherwood McGinnis, Ph.D., Project Director, 740-877-3921 R. Scott Buran, Project Coordinator 717-713-8557 Thomas J. Arminio, Project Coordinator, cell 717-448-5377

Note: This Information Paper supersedes WPJS Information Paper dated February 25, 2020