Editorial Policy

1. The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI)

The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is one of the four offices under the Commandant of FDRE Defence War College(DWC), which plans, organizes, implements, leads, and evaluates the DWC research endeavors. SSI will be engaged in research activities on international, regional and national security areas. In order to meet its research endeavors one of its flagship venture to launch Ethiopian Defence Journal of Strategic Studies (EDJSS).

The publication of the Ethiopian Defense Journal of Strategic Studies (EDJSS) creates opportunities specifically for the DWC’s academic and research staff to publish and disseminate their research works to the public domain. The Journal could also serve the college as one of the channels for its research communication. The EDJSS publication shall include a wide range of issues related – but not limited – to strategic security, strategic leadership, warfare, joint operations, military professionalism, and military technology in ground, air, naval, cyber and space domains of the armed forces. It shall publish Original Research, Research Reports, Synopsis of Academic Theses/Dissertations, Feature Articles,Theoretical articles,Book Reviews, Biographical Notes, Policy Articles, Opinions, Literature reviews, Case reports, Synopsis of major research, Essays, Brief communications, and Notes. The EDJSS shall appear in two issues every year in June and December and it shall be published in Amharic and English.

2. Vision & Mission

Vision

EDJSS envisions itself at the forefront for scholarly research outlet in Ethiopia and to be recognized by the international academic community in 2027 defence and strategic security.

Mission 

The mission of the journal is the formation and transmission of scientific enquiry and knowledge in the disciplines of strategic security, defence that suit and promote the specific need of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea Region.

3. Scope of the Journal

As the nature of the journal is a multi-disciplinary forum for scholarship and discussion of strategic security issues drawing from the fields of military, global security, international relations, intelligence, terrorism, and counterterrorism studies, among others. 

The Journal encourages diversity in theoretical foundations, research methods, and approaches. Quantitative and qualitative studies, for example, each offer valuable contributions to the field of strategic security.

Academic disciplines of international relations, military science, political science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, criminology, economics, and history are welcome, as are the applied scholarly fields of security studies, strategic studies, and intelligence studies.

EDJSS emphasizes contemporary security issues, so manuscripts focused on security and defence matters in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region are of particular interest. Topics such as global security threats, African Union Peace and Security Architecture, Peacekeeping Operation, multi-domain warfare, joint operation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, nuclear warfare, space and cyber threats, intelligence, inter-state armed conflict, military strategy, terrorism and counterterrorism, jihadist ideology, genocide, global policing, insurgencies, irregular warfare, radicalization, risk management, threat assessment, and violent extremism are well suited to the Journal, as are contributions on security threats arising from transnational crime, global climate change, failing states, energy and environmental security issues, and health crises such as pandemics.

Therefore, research reports and synopsis of academic theses/dissertations that are original and could contribute significantly to the broader perspective of society and academia will be considered by the editorial board for such publications.

Feature articles and theoretical articles within the broader disciplines as mentioned above that focus on a theoretically driven empirical contribution including the research methods and strategies both quantitative and qualitative applied or the Editorial Board for such publication will consider any theoretical contribution based on secondary sources with a scientific-driven approach.

Book Reviews, biographical notes, policy articles, Opinions, literature reviews, case reports, synopsis of major research, essays, brief communications, and noteswithin the broader disciplines as mentioned above in the scope will be considered by the Editorial Board for such publication.

4. Rational and Objectives of the Journal

Rational for the journal

One of the important criteria of ranking the higher learning institutions in the world is not on the enrolment of students but on their contribution in the world of knowledge, reflected on the quality of research output generated. Quality research output bridges the higher institutions with the society they are intended to serve by interacting and sharing new scientific findings that distinguish the rationalism over irrationalism. It is on this endeavor of scientific enquiry in the vast and multifaceted areas of security, strategic leadership and warfare the EDJSS set forth its main and specific objectives as:

Main Objective

To provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and to constitute a depository of scholarly and scientific works which can contribute to design the policies and advancement of institutions in areas of warfare, foreign policy, geopolitics, strategic security, strategic leadership, joint operations, military professionalism, and military technology in ground, air, naval, cyber and space domains of the armed forces.

Specific Objectives

  • To provide an opportunity and accessibility for emerging and established researchers /scholars to publish and share their research findings with the global community;
  • To carry out publishing on the areas of strategic security at the national and regional level in order to assist policy-makers, academicians, and other stakeholders in the development of policies and scientific outlook;
  • To provide a platform for national and international scholars to address the issues of strategic security, along with specific issues of foreign policy, geopolitics, warfare, military leadership, peacekeeping, and security issues in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region
  • To create a forum of scholarship mainly for the college’s academic and research staff and students and others particularly in the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defense to share experiences, ideas, and observations;

5. Journal Policy

The EDJSS is a peer-reviewed biannual and bilingual journal that publishes the following: research reports, synopsis of academic theses/dissertations, feature articles,theoretical articles,book reviews,biographical notes, policy articles, opinions, literature reviews, essays, brief communications, notes and report from the field. The areas it covers range from the issues related to international and regional geopolitics, strategic security, strategic leadership, joint operation, warfare and warfare technology in the domains of ground, air, cyber and space. In addition, peace and security issues focusing on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region and more. EDJSS is published in June and December of each year with the status of “Refereed Journal”. Besides, the Editorial Board may decide to publish EDJSS under Special Edition. To do so, the Editorial Board decide upon the Special Edition and its related specific issues by voting.  

EDJSS follows Open Access Policy-make the journal articles available in a freely accessible institutional or disciplinary repository. All articles published by the Journal can be cited in other publications free of charge under the sole condition of proper accreditation of the author and original publisher. This can be a tool for more readers, more potential collaborators, more citations for their work, and ultimately more recognition for EDJSS and its host institution DWC. The EDJSS is a bilingual journal that publishes articles in English and Amharic language.

6. Open Access Policy

Articles published in EDJSS may also be reproduced electronically or in print as instruction materials in professional courses for military and civilian specialists, provided that full bibliographic information and a link to the original publication are provided to the readers. The Editors request that they be informed when material published in the journal is used as instruction material.

The authors of articles published in EDJSS are authorized to make their work accessible to the public through their websites, provided the above conditions are met.