https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X241305743 Armed Forces & Society 1–28 © The Author(s) 2024 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0095327X241305743 journals.sagepub.com/home/afs Commentary Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Armed Forces & Society: An Introduction Patricia M. Shields 1 and Donald S. Travis 2 Abstract This commentary introduces the issue that celebrates Armed Forces & Society (AF&S) at 50. In 1974, during the Cold War, Morris Janowitz launched an international and interdisciplinary journal that helped define a new scholarly field of study. We show how the articles of AF&S reflect the Janowitz’s goals by illustrating how journal content responded to the dynamic societal and security environments. We explore changes in the publishing environment through journal metrics and transformations in publishing technology. We then introduce the articles and commentary that fill the 50th anniversary issue. Two articles take an historical perspective focusing on our parent organization the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society at 70 and description of AF&S articles across the 50 years. Finally, we provide an insightful commentary on 10 impactful articles that demonstrate ways AF&S contributed to our collective understanding of the intersection of military and society. Keywords journal publishing, military and society, Morris Janowitz, military sociology, civil- military relations The first issue of Armed Forces & Society (AF&S) appeared in November of 1974. The editor, Morris Janowitz, began with a short commentary, which introduced and justified the new journal. 1 Texas State University, San Marcos, USA 2 Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, Chicago, IL, USA Corresponding Author: Patricia M. Shields, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA. Email: ps07@txstate.edu 1305743AFS XX X 10.1177/0095327X241305743Armed Forces & Society XX(X)Shields and Travis article-commentary 2024