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On July 4, 2026, the United States turns 250. At Cogs of War, we plan to mark the occasion the way we know best: by examining how Americans have built, adapted, and fought with technology in war.
From David Bushnell’s Turtle submarine to the Gatling gun, nuclear warhead, GPS, and AI, American defense innovation has always been more about people working at the edge of constraint to deliver advantage in war — improvising, scaling, and sometimes breaking institutions — than any singular invention. For more than two centuries, these efforts have shaped how the United States and the rest of the world have fought.
Cogs of War is seeking original essays that explore distinctive episodes in American defense innovation. We are interested in both canonical systems and overlooked ones. That includes weapons and enabling systems, but also technologies born in war that reshaped civilian life, military organization, or the relationship between the state, industry, and society.
The strongest submissions will use a single, concrete invention as a lens into how Americans have historically organized themselves to confront practical problems and then absorbed those solutions into national life. Each piece should move from the device or system in the field to the habits of mind and institutions that produced it, and then outward again to its longer cultural and historical consequences. We are not looking for surface-level histories or celebratory summaries.
In your pitch, briefly introduce yourself and the innovation you want to examine. Situate it in its historical context and explain how it was adopted and used. Most importantly, tell us what broader consequences followed, and why they still matter.
Standard Cogs of War pitch and submission guidelines apply. Submissions should please reflect original research and writing, rather than AI-produced ideas and prose. We are accepting pitches for this series until June 4, 2026, a month before the 250th birthday of our country.
Image: Alfred T. Palmer via Wikimedia Commons.
