These are detailed in Annex A.  4) The representatives of the member institutions constitute the Council as the highest authority governing the Society. The Council elects a Board governing the Society. The purpose of the Board is to initiate and coordinate the activities of the Society. The institution hosting the annual conference provides the secretariat for the Society for the period of one year. 5) Society members commit themselves to organise and participate in various workshops, conference or working groups, with the understanding that they will endeavour to lead at least one working group or workshop and participate in at least two others. A tentative schedule of upcoming events is attached at Annex B. 6) The Society will be established for the four-year term in October 2008 upon signing of Letter of Intent by the institutions, and it is announced at the First Annual Conference. 7) The first Annual Conference will be held in November 2009. Invitations to participate in the Conference and to join the Society will be distributed widely. The Council will consider applications for new membership by compatible organizations annually. However, participation in conferences and workshops is welcomed at any time. The ISMS is an institutional membership organization composed of higher military educational institutions in smaller and medium-sized nations. Membership of the ISMS is open to defence universities and colleges conducting research and teaching at the highest national level. The Charter specifically state that its members must be free to conduct research without political control and interference and they must operate in a political system with firm democratic control over the armed forces. More so, membership is by invitation only. The governing body of the ISMS is the Council, which is made up of one representative of each member institution. The Chairmanship of the Council is assumed by the ISMS Presidency. The Presidency of the ISMS rotates on an annual basis between the member institutions. It is the role of the Presidency to host the annual ISMS conference. As of the Council-meeting in Oslo November 2017 the ISMS decided to elect a designated Council-member to act as the ISMS Secretary for a period three years. ISMS uses a thematic Working Group division where each working group is led by a Chairperson. The presidency of ISMS has been held by the following:   The ISMS Working Groups are communities of research interest, which disseminate knowledge within the community, and organize seminars at the annual conference. The Council of the International Society of Military Sciences has formally given its scholarly support to the effort of putting together an OpenAccess Handbook of Military Sciences. The handbooks Editor-in-Chief Anders McD Sookermany and three of the Section Editors are Council Members of the ISMS: David M.