Civil-Military Relations Conference at Tufts University

The Cadet Community on Civil-Military Operations (C3MO) attended the Alliance Linking Leaders in Education and the Services (ALLIES) Civil-Military Relations Conference at Tufts University. Students from Wellesley College, the University of North Georgia, and the Naval Academy joined USMA cadets and Tufts University students in a weekend geared toward narrowing the civ-mil divide. Cadets attended panels and breakout sessions on two topics: “Defining War in the Twenty-First Century” and the “New Front Lines: America’s Military and the Fight Against Disease”. The conference culminated in a Crisis Simulation. During the Crisis Simulation cadets worked with midshipmen and civilians to manage and solve a crisis modeled after a South China Sea scenario. This conference improved cadet understanding of the nature of modern warfare. It also helped build relationships between the United States Military Academy and the other attending schools. Cadets were able to practice communicating with their civilian counterparts and furthered their knowledge of international relations, Civil-Military Operations, and their role as future military leaders in our increasingly complex world.