Welcome to the Summer 2008 edition of the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies (JMSS). As one of the few electronic journals dedicated to the study of security related issues in Canada, we are pleased to provide a forum in which security issues can be examined and discussed.

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By Cindy Strömer and Andrew Sullivan, Co-Chairpersons for the 2008 Strategic Studies Student Conference

The Strategic Studies Student Conference (S3C), is the largest student-organized conference for students across the country to participate in academic presentations. This year, the tenth anniversary of the conference, students from as far as Uzbekistan submitted over sixty paper proposals. The paper selection committee, consisting primarily of masters and PhD students from the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, grouped the successful proposals into nine conference panels. The twenty-seven successful participants mostly came from the University of Calgary and other Canadian universities. The conference enjoyed the participation of international student delegates from Amsterdam University and Helmut Schmidt University in Germany. Panel topics were diverse and comprehensive including: “Countering Terror and Fostering Security”, “Security Through Red and White Coloured Lenses: Canadian Perspectives and Issues”, “Making Security Private and Profitable: and Private Military Companies”, “Security Set in Eastern Europe”, “Transformation and Evaluation for Security”, “Fuelling the Debate: World-wide Energy Security”, “Words, Pictures, and Beyond: Communicating Security”, “Deciphering Security: Cryptography and Intelligence”, and “Building Security: Roles and Responsibilities”.

The conference was held in the Rosza Centre at the University of Calgary, with several conference events held off-campus. The conference was pleased to host five members of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Their participation was critical in developing an understanding in academia, and the public, regarding the reality of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. As an indication of respect and understanding, the academics and members of the public gave these five gentlemen a respectful and resounding standing ovation at the Tenth Annual Presenters’ Dinner.

The three papers published in this edition of the Journal for Military and Strategic Studies highlight the exceptional work being done in the field by students across the world. Though all the presentations were exceptional, the winners selected by the editors of this journal are “name and title, name and title, and name and title.

The increased variety of papers presented from previous years, the diversity of participants, and the exceptional quality of the keynote presentations made this tenth annual conference the best one to date. The students at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies look forward to exceeding even this year’s standards when they host the Strategic Studies Student Conference 2009.