location: Software Engineering Institute
date: 2002-2003

Microarmy was a tactical response to the high level of private and governmental defense research taking place at Carnegie Mellon University. The army was established to facilitate interventions into the informational and physical conditions of the Institutes and departments undertaking this research.

At the time, CMU had begun developing a small unmanned tank ñ the first University project specifically designed to carry weapons. The time period also marked a policy change for the U.S. government, which previously had not openly undertaken armed missions with drones.

Many of the buildings in which this type of research takes place are inaccessible to outsiders. One exception is the library in the Software Engineering Insitute, jointly funded by CMU and the Department of Defense. Between November 2002 and January 2003, the Microarmy made regular incursions against the target. Over 550 ground troops were supported by 100 tanks, 10 airplanes, and 2 satellites.

Photographic documentation of the actions and a detailed analysis of the unmanned, armed combat vehicle currently under development by the University were placed in the periodical section. Materials on university-military partnerships and how to build your own microarmy were passed out on the street and adjacent bus routes.

In March 2003, the Microarmy updated its arsenal with a foldable media analysis tool and a website offering documentation, downloadable tank, airplane, and satellite patterns, and published an extended analysis of mediatized and souvenir images of violence.