Society for Military History

With about 2,300 members in 27 countries, the Society for Military History (SMH) is the English-speaking world’s largest and best known body for the promotion of the study of military history. Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1933, the organization has gone through a series of name changes, beginning life as the American Military History Foundation (AMHF), becoming the American Military Institute (AMI) in 1939, and taking its current name in 1990. This entry discusses the history, mission, and publications of the SMH.

The organization started out as a collaborative effort among military publicists and researchers and archivists in the U.S. capital to help provide its military with the documentary resources to come to grips with its past and to wage future wars more intelligently. The moving ...