In 1977, chief editors, and directors of important national and international military newspapers and periodicals from several European nations met for a first exchange of ideas upon the initiative of the Italian General Dionisio Sepielli.

For the first time, participants could share their journalistic experiences with regard to military periodicals in person discussions.

In 1978, Divisionär (Major General) Ernst Wetter (Switzerland) assumed the office of the executive president, thus taking on the by no means easy task to prepare the ground for the planned association of military journalists.

In 1980, the first statues of EMPA were passed during a meeting at the Führungsakademie (Federal Armed Forces Command and Staff College) in Hamburg. The first Board, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Christian Alexander Müller (Germany) as its president, was elected.

Until 1992, nine congress and several meetings were held, during which the armed forces of different nations were visited. At the congress in Budapest, Hungary, Brigadier General Winfried Vogel (Germany) took over the presidency of EMPA in 1992. He was re-elected for a further in office in Warsaw in 1996.

In 1997, during the general meeting at Koblenz, Germany, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Gerard (Belgium) was elected as successor of General Vogel, who had fallen ill. In 1999 at Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Colonel Friedhelm Klein (Germany), was elected president of the Association.

On the occasion of the constituent meeting of EMPA as an association under Swiss private law, the general assembly at Lugano, Switzerland, approved the new statues in 1993. In 1996 in Warsaw, in 2000 at Spiez, Switzerland, and at last in 2002 at Split, Croatia, these statues have been modified.

Currently, the Association has members in 21 European nations, working as journalists in military affairs or as experts publishing about security and defence policy matters in military or other media.