The important methodological reference points of the modern study of militarism are highlighted. On their basis, the features of militarism of the XXI century are formulated: undisguised Russophobia as the ideological basis of the modern militaristic course of Western countries; expansion of the spheres of manifestation; a fundamentally different level of the arms race with new, better characteristics; involvement in the military confrontation of cyberspace, the use of artificial intelligence technologies; continuous growth of military spending not only in individual, but in almost all countries of the world; militarization of international relations; the transformation of "soft" power into one of the forms of modern militarism; the active transformation of militaristic manifestations from the state level to the level of life of civil society. The ideas of militarism in Russian society are analyzed. The conclusion is made about the reasons for the ambiguous interpretation of the term and the factors influencing modern military processes.