Military Review English Edition November-December 2013 | Page 2

MR

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Colonel Anna R. Friederich-Maggard

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REETINGS! AS THE new
Editor-in-Chief and Director of
Military Review, I would like to extend
my thanks to our readers, authors, and
advocates. Without your continued
support and loyalty, the publication
would not be the respected publication
it is today. Military Review found its
roots in 1922 and is still going strong,
and getting better with every edition.
We are always exploring new ways to
improve our publication and increase
readership. You may have already
seen some changes in the electronic
and printed versions, and there are
more changes coming.

Our first change was updating our electronic version, making it
easier to navigate and we hope more appealing. Rather than scrolling through a PDF
format, we are now displaying the journal in a program that simulates turning the
pages of the actual journal. The best part of this new format is the ability to zoom
in and out, move the page around to specific areas, and go directly to the page you
would like to read. Some articles will have embedded audio and video files to enhance
understanding of the articles. We are also revamping the MR website, making it more
understandable and accessible.

Next, we changed the look and feel of the MR cover. We hope that with a
more dynamic presentation our readers will be more inclined to pick it up, thereby increasing our readership. We receive numerous recommendations from our readers and
authors on ways to improve MR. One venue voiced repeatedly through our readers is to
reduce the size of the published articles. In the past, the recommended size of submitted
manuscripts was 3,000 to 5,000 words. By reducing the size of the manuscript to 2,000
to 3,000 words, we are able to showcase the hard work of more authors. This in turn
increases the probability of our audience reading an article in its entirety and opening
up forums/debates on more topics. Let's face it, in the fast-paced world we live in today,
and the limited time we have for luxuries such as reading, this concept is a good fit.

You will also see MR transition back to “themed” editions. Beginning in 2015,
each edition will have a theme-based topic relevant to the Army. We are counting on our
readers to provide feedback on the specific themes they would like to see in the future.

We also want to dispel the myth that MR is only for officers. It is true, we
receive more articles from officers and civilians than from our non commissioned officers, but we want our NCOs to know they too have a voice. Their roles as leaders and
innovative thinkers are just as vital as our officers’ roles; that is why we are dedicating
one of our first themed 2015 editions to our NCOs.

Right now, the majority of MR’s content is printed in black and white, which
is another aspect we would like to change to move the Army’s professional journal into
the 21st century. We believe that with the addition of color, coupled with more graphics,
we will capture and hold the reader’s attention, thus expanding our audiences.

These are just some of the forecasted changes to the Army’s professional journal.
If you would like to make your own recommendations, please contact us, we would
love to hear from you. Send your ideas to [e-mail] or to Military Review, 290 Stimson Ave, Unit 2, Fort
Leavenworth, Kan. 66027-1293.

I look forward to hearing from you, our readers, and providing our force with
the latest ideas that stimulate critical thought, cultivate new ideas, assist leader education and training, and promote doctrine development.