Submissions

Read this entry in its entirety before submitting your idea to the editors

At NextGenWarBlog, our aim is to provide a platform for servicemembers, policy “wonks”, commercial innovators, and policy experts to share their insight without fear of brand editorialization, platform bias, or politico influence. Our contributors come from all walks of the defense, intelligence, national security, and defense industrial base. As such, our content tackles timely, critical issues that must be presented in candid, clear, and concise terms. That’s not always easy to do. But few other platforms prioritize analysis that doesn’t lose itself in its own prose: we are looking for content that follows the problem-solution-outcome sequence. Don’t just opine about a challenge or issue, present clear recommendations on how to address it.

Our goal is to provide the medium for discussion on critical issues, and when the circumstances of problem-solution intersect on our pages, we aim to align the ones with the “problem” with the ones who can help solve it. This is why we encourage dialogue and content from defense industrial voices—especially start-ups and venture capital enterprises—right next to our strategic analysis and military voices.

We review every word of every submission for potential OPSEC, and if any content fails to pass our rigorous evaluation, it will not be considered for publication. If you are an active-duty member, or member of the intelligence community, we strongly encourage you to ask for an official review of your initial thesis prior to submitting to our editors. NGWB will not be held accountable for deliberate or negligent distribution of sensitive information.

We have one unbending requirement for any submission: it must be applicable to the next conflict, and the research must support the finding. After all, NextGenWar is the focus of this platform. This means if you want to raise the issue of force shaping in a given enterprise, or equipment capabilities, or even camouflage patterns, it must be attributable to the next fight.

Formatting:

Every author and writer has their own unique voice, and the very purpose of NGWB is to provide a platform for those many disparate and diverse voices which are otherwise not accepted or represented by editorialized natsec mediums, or they don’t know where to submit their work. Stay in your voice, but keep your analysis focused on the main point: how does your work apply to preparing for the NextGenWar? Feel free to read the posts on NGWB, appreciate the variety of narrative voices, but always keep the main point iterative and central in your argument.

Use Microsoft Word and enable reviewing permissions. Leave the “track changes” function on so as to avoid version fratricide. Do not simply rewrite the piece with suggested edits and send a brand-new copy of the article. This ensures we have not left out or missed any changes in the revision sequence, and that you understand and accept our editorial finishing. Do not take comments and critiques personally, we understand that not everyone has experience writing for publication, our editorial team is simply ensuring your thoughts are captured and still meets our content requirements.

Use hyperlinks. Everything posted to NGWB is copy-edited for accuracy; this includes quotes, citations, functional data and metrics, and analogous arguments. Wikipedia is not recognized as a primary source, so don’t use it. Put the links into the text as if you were looking for the same information on a search engine.

Plagiarism will result in a permanent blacklist from NGWB submissions. The Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University defines plagiarism as “fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting results.” If you find existing research or content that supports your argument, there is no reason not to properly cite it to further bolster your argument. Content integrity is paramount to NGWB efforts to provide viable, useful national security arguments on critical issues. Plagiarism has no place on this medium.

Don’t, plagiarize.

Submission size:

We accept submissions ranging from 800-2,000 words. Anything longer exceeds our intent of providing clear, concise arguments on critical topics regarding the NextGenWar.

Attribution:

In exceptional circumstances, NGWB will consider non-attributable submissions. Otherwise, please include a brief author byline: tell our readers why you are qualified to make the argument presented, your background, and socials (we want to tag you and ensure your platform is recognized and promoted accordingly).

Submitting to NGWB:

Submit your MS Word copy to Netcontrol@Nextgenwargroup.com. Give our team three days, and if you have not heard from us, send another ping to ensure we don’t miss your submission. We will make every effort to notify you in a timely manner if we are going to consider your piece or suggest alternative publications. We are a new voice in the national security space, and our staff/footprint is small, so please be patient and we greatly appreciate your understanding.