Adams Center for Military History

A $2,500.00 scholarship funded through an endowment created by the late Albert Z. Conner, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (B.A., history, 1966) and Georgetown University (M.A., government, 1981) encourages cadets to think about the historical dimensions of contemporary foreign and national security affairs. Competitive submissions employ primary and secondary sources in their essay covering the historical aspects of a contemporary national security or foreign policy challenge. Essays should include policy recommendations based on the lessons of the past. The contest was open to all second, third, and fourth-class cadets in any major.

The John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis at Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia, has awarded prizes for the best unpublished papers on Cold War military history. The contest promotes innovative scholarship from rising (early to mid-career) scholars on Cold War subjects. Any aspect of the Cold War (1945-1991) era is eligible, including papers on military strategy, plans, and operations; the relationship between the armed forces and society; international security affairs; Cold War alliances; and the connections between Cold War military history and contemporary geopolitical challenges. The essay may embrace a U.S. or global focus.

Prizes: First prize – a plaque and a cash award of $2,000; second prize – a plaque and a cash award of $1,000; and third prize – a plaque and a cash award of $500.

The center has previously provided a $5,000 grant to a graduate student in history or a related field working on a doctoral dissertation in Cold War military history, broadly defined. The award promotes  innovative scholarship on Cold War topics (for a list of past recipients/projects, see below). The  Adams Center invites proposals in all subject areas — including international security affairs, military history, and strategic analysis. All periods of Cold War history are welcome. The prize  is made possible through the generous support of John A. Adams and George J. Collins, Jr. To be considered, graduate students submitted a brief proposal (prospectus) describing their  doctoral research, a project timeline, and a curriculum vitae with a list of references.

Past Dissertation Grant Recipients: 

• Yuki Minami, “The Zainichi Volunteers in the Korean War,” Victoria University of Wellington,  New Zealand. 
• Meghan Ashley Vance, “Cold War Soldiering: The U.S. Army in Germany, 1945–1958,” Texas  A&M University. 
• Heather M. Haley, “Unsuitable and Incompatible: Ensign Vernon ‘Copy’ Berg, Bisexuality, and  the Cold War U.S. Navy,” Auburn University. 
• Eric Perinovic, “Ex Machina: The F-104G Starfighter, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the  Origins of the Modern European Military Aviation Sector,” Temple University. 
• Hosub Shim, “The Forgotten Army: A History of the Republic of Korea Forces’ in the Vietnam  War, 1965–1973,” University of Kansas. 
• Kate Tietzen, “Iraq in the Cold War and beyond the fall of the Soviet Union, 1968–2003,”  Kansas State University. 
• Susan Colbourn, “Defining Détente: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Struggle for  Identity, 1975–1983,” University of Toronto, Canada. 
• Kuan-jen Chen, “U.S. Maritime Policy in East Asia during the Cold War era, 1945–1979,”  University of Cambridge, UK. 
• Nathaniel R. Weber, “U.S. Military Assistance and Advisory Groups, 1945–1965,” Texas A&M  University. 
• Brett M. Reilly, “International Military Advising and the Armed Forces of the State of Vietnam  and Republic of Vietnam, 1948–1975,” University of Wisconsin.  
• Fatih Tokatli, “Turkish-American Military Cooperation and Transformation of Turkish Military  in the Cold War, 1947–1954,” Bilkent University, Türkiye. 
• Johanne Marie Skov, “Britain Rising like a Phoenix from the Ashes: How Britain Landed the 1985 Al Yamamah Arms Deal with Saudi Arabia in the Context of Cold War Western Intra-Bloc  Rivalry, 1979-1985,” Lancaster University, UK. 
• Thao Nguyen, “The Vietnamese Women in the Black Market of South Vietnam,” University of  Michigan. 

Through the generous support of the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute, and the Society for Military History, the Summer Seminar in Military History has been held previous summers on post. The two-week in-residence experience draws on the long tradition of Summer Seminars. This year, the theme will be “Foundations of Military History.” Participants will engage with visiting scholars, VMI faculty, and the program director to develop core skills and concepts in the study of military history. Seminar Fellows will also interact with public historians and archivists and participate in a battlefield staff ride.

The seminar is open to advanced doctoral students (ABD at time of application) in History or a closely related field, early career scholars no more than five years beyond the conferral of their PhD., or scholars new to the discipline of military history (including public historians or historians employed in government positions). Due to funding constraints, the seminar is only open to US citizens or permanent residents.

Seminar Fellows receive:

• lodging for the duration of the Seminar
• select meals, including a welcome dinner, lunch each seminar day, and a closing banquet
• all reading materials
• a $1,300 stipend to help offset transportation costs to and from Lexington, Virginia, and other costs, such as evening meals, laundry, etc.

Seminar Fellows are encouraged to seek additional support from their home institutions to supplement travel and other costs.

The application consists of a brief form, plus the following items to be uploaded:

• A two-page letter of interest, outlining the applicant’s motivation, qualifications, and goals for the seminar and their future career
• A CV/Resume

Doctoral students will include the name and contact information of their academic supervisor, who will submit a letter of reference.