Most people measure military power with weapons, manpower, or resources, but How Militaries Learn shows that the key to success on the modern battlefield lies in the mind. Modern weapons and plentiful resources matter little if militaries cannot organize efficiently, exercise initiative, and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. How Militaries Learn examines 200 years of data from militaries around the world and arrives at a surprising conclusion: learning to think on the battlefield depends on a deep reservoir of human capital in society. Using case studies of France, Prussia, Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, How Militaries Learn shows the different ways that militaries learn to think and succeed on the battlefield. Anyone who wants to understand military power should read How Militaries Learn.

Welcome to the second year's-worth of stories from the online magazine ZNB Presents published by the small press Zombies Need Brains. In these pages, you will find original science fiction and fantasy stories of awe and wonder, darkness and light, ranging through all of the subgenres, including urban fantasy, alternate history, space opera, future fairy tales, and more. They come from the most talented authors in the field today—new voices as well as trusted and familiar names. Join us as we explore visions of the past, present, and future, as we encounter strange new creatures, both in our own backyard, in the depths of space, and our own imagination. Here you will: —Search for a cryptid in the mean streets of the city that tricks you into walking into its mouth —Scavenge in a world where AI has passed the singularity —Relive the scents of a recently lost world at a near-future carnival —Fleece the rich in a South African suborbirail —Hunt vampires in the crypts beneath the Kremlin with a saint by your side —Bargain with the sentient plants in a precarious alliance on a colonized world —Uncover the alternate assassin of Abraham Lincoln —Concoct potions as an apprentice with just a touch too much flare —Become an AI struggling to complete its mission after crashlanding on an alien world And so much more! Twenty-four stories written by Daniel Roman, Ty Lazar, L.P. Melling, Nathan W. Toronto, Caias Ward, Jonathan Robbins Leon, Marie Vibbert, Rob Cornell, Mike Jack Stoumbos, J.L. George, Brian Hugenbruch, Andrew Gudgel, Alicia Cay, Elektra Hammond, Derrick Boden, Alma Alexander, Melinda Brasher, Louis Evans, Niall Spain, Brian Crenshaw, S.C. Butler, Sam Robb, Liam Hogan, and Christine Lucas, each with its own illustration by artists Kat D'Andrea, Ariel Guzman, or Greg Uchrin. Welcome to the multifaceted worlds of ZNB Presents . Find us on Patreon at: http://www.patreon.com/zombiesneedbrains

Bullet Points captures the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human and nonhuman society, with reprints and original stories every three months. The July 2024 issue (Volume 6) presents stories that explore the personal wars that come after combat: Original Stories KM Rider, "The Owl's Last Call" DL Shirey, "The Imodor" Garth Upshaw, "Retaliatory Strike Force" Reprints Gerry Huntman, "Last" Tyree Campbell, "Autumn Corn" Kellee Kranendonk, "The Shauns" Mike Sharlow, "The Coldest Ride in the Dead of Winter" Review Rogue Sequence, by Zac Topping

Stories that capture the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human (and nonhuman) society. The Bullet Points anthology offers classic stories alongside stories from up-and-coming authors, including: H. G. Wells, "The Land Ironclads"; David Drake, "Caught in the Crossfire"; James C. Glass, "Skirmish at Heklara"; Tony Ballantyne, "The War Artist"; Walter Jon Williams, "Wolf Time"; Nathan W. Toronto, "The Defense of Gipper's Twist"; MAJ Craig Maybee, "Barren Moon"; and Eric Fomley, "Bag of Soldiers." This is an anthology based on Bullet Points, a military fiction blog. Every year, the best stories from the blog are collected and published in paperback.Read the blog here: https://www.nathantoronto.com/bulletpoints. Submit to the blog here: https://www.nathantoronto.com/bulletpoints/submissions. Bullet Point Press publishes fiction that contributes to a deeper understanding of war and warfare and builds bridges between military professionals and civilians. We believe that fiction can contribute to a more just and peaceful world.

Bullet Points captures the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human and nonhuman society, with reprints and original stories every three months. The April 2025 issue (Volume 9) presents stories on an artificial intelligence theme: Stories: Marc A. Criley, "Bullets for Peace" Smart munitions go rogue. Mandi Jourdan, "Brief Candle" Samantha sees the AI performance of a lifetime. Kimberly G. Hargan, "Cher Ami" G9-7 receives critical mission orders. Jessica Brook, "The Bee Wrangler" Ines wrangles bees to deal with the war. Carol Willis, "Face of Humanity" Under enemy fire, two brothers must bury one of their own. Jen Frankel, "The Expert" Sergeant Strophy gets a new munitions expert on her team. Don Money, "Greater Good" Stankowski and Haskell interpret orders from Olympus Battle AI. Matthew Ross, "Fortunate One" Rho38-G wakes up and his squad is dead. Bonus Material: Susan Jane Bigelow, "The Radio" A rebel blast strands an AI soldier on a strange planet (bonus story). Walter Jon Williams, "Wolf Time" A mercenary takes a job that goes very, very wrong (bonus story). Nathan W. Toronto, "The Distant Singularity" The stories in this volume focus on AI, but thankfully the singularity seems far off.

Read stories that capture the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human (and nonhuman) society. The Bullet Points anthology offers classic stories alongside stories from up-and-coming authors, including: Joe Haldeman, "Time Piece" David Drake, "But Loyal to His Own" Jenna Hanchey, "Far From Home" Eric Fomley, "Input: Memories" Tabitha Lord, "Quest Nine" Ian R. MacLeod, "Selkie" Rich Larson, "Ghost Girl" Shannon Fay, "Fight for the Stars" Pedro Iniguez, "The Last Great Film" And more... This is an anthology based on Bullet Points, a military fiction blog. Every year, the best stories from the blog are collected and published. Bullet Point Press publishes fiction that contributes to a deeper understanding of war and warfare and builds bridges between military professionals and civilians. We believe that fiction can contribute to a more just and peaceful world.

Does war make states? If it does, it does not make professional militaries. Scholars have often linked war and state development, but one important process of state development---military professionalization---does not seem to follow the "war makes states" logic. There are two reasons for this. First, states are most likely to begin professionalizing the military in response, not to war or the threat of war, but to dire military defeats, or defeats resulting in the occupation of national territory, abnormally high casualties, and the recognition of military incompetence. The humiliation associated with these dire defeats seems to spur political systems into action. Second, the division of labor tends to concentrate the population in urban centers and increase society's human capital and the level of resources available to the state. Thus, an advanced division of labor enables long-term military professionalization. The division of labor thus seems to be a necessary condition, and dire military defeats a sufficient condition, for thorough military professionalization. To evaluate these propositions, I use original data on military professionalism---compiled in a data set spanning from 1800 to 2005---and case studies of military professionalization in Prussia, France, Turkey, and Egypt. The findings of this study suggest that we should rethink how states develop professional military institutions in response to war.

Rise of Ahrik is the story of a military officer married to a woman he does not love, sent to fight a war he does not support, and forced to betray the clones he has sworn to lead.