Guest host Michael Richardson speaks to the editors of the Special Issue on Becoming War (Vol. 51, No. 2-3). Drawing on their introductory article and all the contributions to the special issue, Antoine Bousquet, Jairus Grove, and Nisha Shah explain why they believe a new approach to the study of war is required today. The discussion explores the main philosophical principles and methodological dispositions behind their advocacy of a “martial empiricism” and its focus on the domains of war that are mobilisation, design and encounter.