The Chief Warrant Officer EJ Kahn, Jr. Professional Writing Award

By US Army Warrant Officer Career College

Article published on: June 1st 2025, in the Volume III, Issue 2, April-June 2025 Edition of Strength in Knowledge: The Warrant Officer Journal

Read Time: < 10 mins

  1. The Chief Warrant Officer EJ Kahn Jr. Professional Writing Award (KPWA) aims to advance literature on training, doctrine, and policy for professional development from a systems perspective. The KPWA recognizes writers who express systematic knowledge, experiential wisdom, and enthusiastic candor or discourse regarding the Strength in Knowledge theme for 2025: “systematic, data-driven approaches to address strategic gaps in operational readiness.”
    1. Background. Strength in Knowledge: The Warrant Officer Journal was established in January 2023 at the US Army Warrant Officer Career College at Fort Novosel, Alabama. The Journal is managed by faculty as an additional duty with support from volunteers. The Secretary of the Army recognized it as a Professional Bulletin (PB) 1918 in October 2024 with the third issue of Volume 2.
    2. The Chief of Staff’s Harding Project prompted the Journal to research Major General Harding. The research led to the article Beer and Skittles (2024), titled after Major General Harding’s quote, “Army life, especially in war, is not all beer and skittles.” This quote is found in the forward of Chief Warrant Officer EJ Kahn, Jr.’s book Army Life (1942), published by the Infantry Journal.
    3. Chief Warrant Officer EJ Kahn Jr. was drafted in WWII and served most of his Army career as a writer for Major General Harding and a New Yorker war correspondent. He published many works throughout his life, many characterized by his unique skill to make complex information accessible to diverse audiences through storytelling.
  2. Three award levels recognize voluntary article submissions to Army professional bulletins contributing to the Army’s body of knowledge or professional discourse.
    1. The Bronze Award recognizes writers selected for PB 1918 by at least five peers published in PB 1918. The award recipients will be announced in the quarterly Strength in Knowledge: The Warrant Officer Journal issue.
    2. The Silver Award recognizes writers submitting and publishing two articles in Army professional bulletins within six months, one of which must be PB 1918. This award is limited to two annual awards, and each is announced in quarterly issues of Strength in Knowledge: The Warrant Officer Journal.
    3. The Gold Award recognizes a writer with three or more different published articles in at least two separate Army professional bulletins within one calendar year. This award is limited to one award per calendar year and will be announced in the Strength in Knowledge: The Warrant Officer Journal.
  3. Requirements.
    1. Writers must have submitted their original work using the published submission guidelines, and the publisher selected and published the article.
    2. Writers must affirm that the article is their original work and that no part of the article was plagiarized from other sources; that all references to other work have been properly and fully attributed; that it has not been previously published; that it is not now being considered elsewhere for publication; and that it is not currently pending consideration as an entry in any other competition.
    3. Nominations for silver and gold award recognition must be received from:
      1. two officers (CW2 or above), or
      2. two Army Civilian Professionals (GS-11 equivalent or above), or
      3. any combination of officer and Army Civilian Professional.
    4. Nominations must be received within six months of the latest original publication. The nomination should include the author’s name, the article’s title, and the publication’s volume and issue. The nomination should also briefly explain why the article is relevant to contemporary Army issues or historically significant. Nominations must be sent by email to WO Journal@army.mil. There is no specific format for the nomination.
    5. The Commandant of the US Army Warrant Officer Career College will make the final selections and announce the winners.
  4. Evaluation is unavoidably subjective; however, these questions help evaluate essays and articles more objectively.
    1. Does the article speak to all generations clearly with a reader-centric hook and maintain the reader’s attention with candor, humor, wit, or charm?
    2. Does the article fairly represent the background facts and provide a credible examination of the issue that is easily discernible by diverse audiences?
    3. Does the article show evidence of research using accepted academic standards? Is the research mainly from primary sources properly cited using the style required by the publisher?
    4. Does the article offer plausible solutions, recommendations about the problem or issue, or opinions about how the Army can find innovative solutions to face future challenges and threats despite workforce reductions and budget cuts?
    5. Is the article well-organized? Does it move logically from a clear thesis through a well-developed argument using supporting evidence to yield persuasive conclusions or a call to action?
    6. Does the article contribute anything new to the professional knowledge on the selected topic?
    7. Does the article avoid excessive acronyms or jargon?
    8. Point of contact for this award is the managing editor of the wo_journal@army.mil.

Author

US Army Warrant Officer Career College