Theresan Military Academic Forum 2027 (TMAF 2027)
Theresan Military Academic Forum 2027
The Theresan Military Academic Forum 2027 (TMAF 2027) is a scientific symposium that seeks to further transfer knowledge and develop the necessary skills, responsibility, and autonomy inherent to successful basic officer education. The TMAF includes a general orientation as well as a cyber specialisation, conceived to help military leaders cope with future challenges.
The theme of TMAF 2027 is “Leaders, Algorithms, and War: Command in the Era of Autonomous Systems.” As military training and education evolve to meet the demands of the 21st century, scientifically grounded knowledge remains crucial to enhancing operational readiness. The accelerating pace of digitalisation, automation, and autonomous systems is reshaping the military environment. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are not only transforming how wars are fought, but also raising complex questions for military strategists, ethical frameworks, and legal norms.
TMAF invites you to provide your contribution to exploring how emerging technologies are - and will - redefining officer training and development.
How can we best prepare future leaders for a tech-driven operational environment? Are current approaches adapting quickly enough—or are we at risk of falling behind more aggressive adopters of these innovations?
Participation opportunities
Options for participation a maximum of three persons per institution may participate as follows:
| Priority | Contribution | Administration |
| 1 | Lecture with publication | Free board & lodging |
| 2 | Lecture without publication | Free board |
| 3 | Participation | Conference fee (€ 50,-/day) |
| 4 | No participation / just Publication | No charges |
Submitted contributions will be subject to a double peer review. They will be published by our cooperating partner, "The Defence Horizon Journal" (www.tdhj.org), as well as in "Armis et Litteris" (hard copy).
The TMAF focuses on the education of future generations of military officers. Therefore, we integrate officer cadets and students into the symposium. Thus, we kindly invite participants to bring an officer cadet or student from the home institution and include them in the presentation, if possible. Considering the priorities listed above, the organising team will assign the available slots on a first-come, first-served principle.
For the programme design and the necessary preparations, we require your binding commitment to participate. Therefore, we ask you to verify your ability to participate through your national (military) diplomatic chain of command before accepting the invitation.
Please note that for participation with option 1, regardless of the number of integrated speakers, accommodation and meals will be provided free of charge to only one (1) person/author.
In addition to thematic discussions, numerous side events will be offered to promote, deepen, and broaden (military) cultural exchanges; the nature of these exchanges will be determined by the pandemic situation, the weather, and the interests of the participants.
Building on last year's positive experience, we will once again invite companies active in the relevant fields to take part in the exhibition. The exhibition will again be organised in collaboration with our partner, the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). It will take place exclusively during the breaks between presentations and is designed to deepen participants’ knowledge of the topics covered and facilitate international networking among them.
Procedures for publication
Interested participants are cordially invited to apply with an abstract according to the following guidelines:
| Phase | Deadline |
| Call for Papers (submission of abstract with up to 250 words; endnotes not included; CV; template format) | 30th November 2026 |
Information to the author about acceptance of the article by the TMAF Scientific Committee | 23rd December 2026 |
| Submission of the article for publication (3000-5000 words endnotes not included; template format) | 14th February 2027 |
| Review phase | 13th February - 09th May 2027 |
| Re-submission date for required modifications (if necessary) | 31st May 2027 |
| Publication availability online (TDHJ) | 31st May 2027 |
| Availability of the publication "Armis et Litteris" | September 2027 |
To submit abstracts (including a CV), please use the "TMAF Short Essay" format template, available on our website at www.milak.at/en/tmaf2027, and send them to tmaf@bmlv.gv.at. If a contribution is accepted, we request a photo of the author and speaker for use in designing the programme and publications.
Download: Milestones, Call for Papers, Fact Sheet, Short Essay, Long Essay
Quality management of publication entries
- All publication submissions are subject to a double peer review,
- in cooperation with "The Defence Horizon Journal (TDHJ)",
- under the auspices of the TMAF Scientific Committee,
- in TDHJ (ISSN: 2710-3722 online; www.thedefencehorizon.org) respectively "Armis et Litteris".
Provisional schedule
| Monday, 10th May 2027 | Arrival and icebreaker |
| Tuesday, 11th May 2027 | TMAF (presentation, discussion, reflection) |
| Wednesday, 12th May 2027 | TMAF (presentation, discussion, reflection) |
| Thursday, 13th May 2027 | TMAF (presentation, discussion, reflection) |
| Friday, 14th May 2027 | Departure |
Location(s)
The challenging topic and the unique atmosphere in Wiener Neustadt make the TMAF a special event for participants interested in addressing the burning issues for selecting, training, and assessing military leaders.
Theresan Military Academy
Burgplatz 1
2700 Wiener Neustadt
The lectures and the exhibition will once again take place in the Sparkassensaal (see https://sparkassensaal.at/location/impressionen/). The side events will take place on the campus of the Theresan Military Academy.
Administrative information
Application
Registration for the TMAF 2027 has to be done via our homepage www.milak.at/en/tmaf2027, by 14th March 2027.
Once you have registered, you will receive an invoice for the conference fee, which you are kindly requested to complete. Your registration confirmation will be sent to you once we receive your conference fee.
Transport
Plane:
Pick-up and transfer from/to Vienna Airport will be provided. Therefore, we kindly ask you to book flights arriving at Vienna International Airport on Monday, 10th May 2027, between 1100 and 1500 hrs. For departure, we request the use of flights on Friday, 14th May 2027, from 1100 to 1500 hrs.
Arrival by train:
Our recommended hotels are situated near Wiener Neustadt Central Station and the event venues, and are within easy walking distance.
Arrival by own car:
Please arrive at the Ice Breaker in Wiener Neustadt on Monday, 10th May 2027, by 1800 hrs. Parking is available at the hotels and on the campus.