This article was originally published on the "Nicolae Balcescu" Land Forces Academy webpage here.

On April 28–29, 2025, “Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy in Sibiu hosted the international conference “Leadership & Ethics: Adapting Military Ethics to Modern Warfare”, organized in collaboration with “Carol I” National Defence University and the Institute for Defence Policy Studies and Military History.

The event brought together military and civilian leaders—both seasoned professionals and those at the start of their careers—alongside military ethics experts, researchers, and students from Romania, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Armenia, Ukraine, and Canada. A special presence at the conference was that of young officers currently serving in command roles within the Romanian Land Forces and enrolled in the strategic “Leaders of the Future” program.

The primary objective of the conference was to explore the ethical challenges that today’s and tomorrow’s operational environments pose to military leadership, both in peacetime and in conflict. Through this analysis, the conference aimed to help define a comprehensive framework for ethical training and development throughout a military leader’s career.

The organizers, Assoc.Prof. Alexandru Baboș, PhD, and Asst.Prof. Alin Bodescu, PhD, introduced a dynamic format of successive open-debate panels, featuring globally renowned speakers such as Joe Thomas (Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership), David C. Emelifeonwu (Royal Military College of Canada), Elke Schwarz (Queen Mary University of London), and John Thomas (President, International Society for Military Ethics in Europe).

The conference “Leadership & Ethics: Adapting Military Ethics to Modern Warfare” represents a crucial strategic initiative for the Romanian Army, strengthening the ethical training of military leaders, promoting interoperability of values, and reaffirming Romania’s role as a responsible and innovative actor in the international security community. It contributes to the development of a clear educational and operational framework for military leaders, in line with the current requirements of a complex operational environment, whether in peace or conflict. The topics addressed — such as the use of emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, autonomy, cyber) are essential for understanding the ethical risks and responsibilities involved in the use of force in the 21st century.

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