Army fellowship offers paid degree, editor jobs to revitalize journals

The Army announced a new fellowship program this week to educate officers in professional writing, offering a paid graduate degree and hands-on journalism experience as part of its broader effort to enhance military writing skills.

The Maj. Gen. Edwin “Forrest” Harding Fellowship is part of The Harding Project, an initiative launched in 2023 by the Army’s top commander to enhance and encourage professional writing within the service and introduce new ideas and approaches to the modern battlespace.

Since the project’s inception, a dozen soldiers have been working to revive the Army’s branch journals and magazines, including the “Infantry,” “Armor,” “Air Defense,” and “Special Warfare” titles, which serve as the storehouse for current military debate and thought.

The fellowship will select six fellows annually to spend a year at the University of Kansas earning a graduate degree in journalism before being assigned as full-time editors of one of the Army’s branch journals for a two-year stint.

Those editors will then bring their expertise back to their units.

“Like the observer controllers who serve at our combat training centers, these leaders will return to operational units as experts in their branches with superior communications skills,” said Gen. Gary Brito, head of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.

Over the past decade, some branch journals, once the go-to place for specialized military news and study, have become dormant or less frequently used. For example, the last time “Armor” magazine had an editor serving in uniform was 2006, according to officials.

The decline is partly due to a high rate of operational commitments but also a shift in how soldiers and leaders consume information, similar to trends in civilian media.

When the Harding Project launched last year, it adopted a simplified online approach. It uses its website to post easily searchable articles and blog-style posts. Users can also download a chat application to read and engage with others on their mobile device.

As part of an awareness campaign, the Army is releasing a special issue of “Military Review” in print and on a new online platform. The issue will included articles on writing techniques, running a unit writing program and how to offer respectful dissent in written forums.

The service plans to distribute 18,000 print copies of the journal to battalion-level and higher headquarters within the next month.

Maj. Emily Lopez, a civil affairs officer, was among the first crop of editors selected earlier this year. She has served as editor-in-chief of “Special Warfare” magazine since June aside Sgt. 1st Class Ben Latigue, a special forces medic.

“I think the beautiful thing about being a military editor in chief is we’re part of the connective tissue back to the force,” Lopez told Army Times.

Both she and Latigue came to the positions after operational rotations within special operations.

Editors’ duties goes beyond copyediting and spell-checking articles. One of The Harding Project’s priorities is fostering conversation and debate and garnering ideas from the force.

Lopez and Latigue have spent recent months at various primary military education events and forums, asking students about the hot topics in their fields.

Drawing on that audience feedback, they aim to bring more relevant content to readers and boost soldiers’ engagement with the journals and online writing forums.

How to apply

The Maj. Gen. Edwin “Forrest” Harding Fellowship will accept submissions through Sept. 10.

The fellowship is open to any active-duty captain, master sergeant or chief warrant officer 4 in the following branches — infantry, air defense, military intelligence, chemical corps, engineer, military police, transportation, quartermaster, ordnance, finance, civil affairs, psychological operations and special forces.

Applicants must also have graduated from the Captains Career Course, hold a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 grade point average and not have a graduate degree that was paid for by the Army.

An Army board will review submissions in late September and announced the fellows in mid-October, Lt. Col. Zachary Evans, special assistant to the Army chief of staff, told Army Times.

Application packet information is available on the Army’s Human Resources Command website.