Andrew S. Erickson

Defense Spokesman Yang Yujun’s Response to Questions on the Establishment of The East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone
PRC Ministry of National Defense, Beijing, 23 November 2013
Q： Why does the Chinese government decide to establish the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone? Is it related to the current situation in the region?
A：Air Defense Identification […]

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Announcement of the Aircraft Identification Rules for the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone of the P.R.C.
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) – China’s Ministry of National Defense issued an announcement of the aircraft identification rules for the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone of the People’s Republic of China. Following is the full text:
Announcement […]

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Wendell Minnick, “Chinese UCAV Takes Maiden Flight,” Intercepts Blog, Defense News, 22 November 2013.
Photographs have appeared on Chinese military blogs purportedly showing the maiden flight of the Lijian (Sharp Sword) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). The photographs first appeared on Chinese language military websites: lt.cjdby.net and huanqiu.com on Nov. 21, supposedly the same day the flight occurred. According to […]

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Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Erickson and Strange: China’s Far Seas ‘Five-Year Plan’,” Guest Blog Post for Elizabeth C. Economy, Asia Unbound, Council on Foreign Relations, 15 November 2013.
This guest post is by Andrew Erickson, an associate professor in the Strategic Research Department at the U.S. Naval War College, and Austin Strange, a researcher for the College’s China Maritime […]

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Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Pragmatic Partners, the Unsung Story of U.S.-China Anti-Piracy Coordination,” Guest Blog Post for Elizabeth C. Economy, Asia Unbound, Council on Foreign Relations, 24 October 2013.
This guest post is by Andrew Erickson, an associate professor in the Strategic Research Department at the U.S. Naval War College, and Austin Strange, a […]

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As a dangerous game of budget roulette unfolds, it behooves all concerned Americans and their representatives to remember that the world continues its rapid evolution and will not wait for Washington to get its act together. With respect to the most dynamic and important region of the globe, the insights of Singapore’s founding father Lee […]

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Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Spring Training for the Big Leagues,” Guest Blog Post for Elizabeth C. Economy, Asia Unbound, Council on Foreign Relations, 9 September 2013.
I am delighted to introduce the first of a four-part blog series that will be running through December on the PLA Navy by Andrew Erickson, an associate […]

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On 8 May 2013, in reviewing the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s annual report on Chinese military developments, I noted that “China itself needs to know how its military progress is being perceived, even as it remains free to publish whatever reports of its own it might wish.”
Now China has indeed done so, through the […]

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It’s always worth considering Patrick Chovanec’s cogent analysis. And when Howard Schneider and Paul Krugman raise similar concerns, you can’t afford not to pay attention.
Brad Plumer, “A Very Clear Explanation of China’s Economic Woes,” The Washington Post, 16 July 2013.
Howard Schneider, “IMF Labels China’s Economic Policy ‘Unsustainable’ As Trade Talks Are Suspended,” The Washington Post, 17 July […]

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National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, 2013).
Click here to read the full text of the report.
Hans Kristensen’s evaluation can be accessed here.
Issued four years after the previous iteration, this detailed report is to be welcomed. Perhaps due to the vagaries of bureaucratic processes, it […]

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Looking for substantive geostrategic analysis by a top Chinese scholar? Read on!
Wu Zhengyu, “Toward ‘Land’ or Toward ‘Sea’? The High-Speed Railway and China’s Grand Strategy,” Naval War College Review 66.3 (Summer 2013): 53-65.
China’s maritime development having come up against pressures and challenges in recent years, the concept of “strategic hedging”—that is, pursuit of and investment […]

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Incisive analysis on a timely and important topic!
Jessica Chen Weiss, “Authoritarian Signaling, Mass Audiences, and Nationalist Protest in China,” International Organization, 67.1 (January 2013): 1-35.
How can authoritarian states credibly signal their intentions in international crises? Nationalist, antiforeign protests are one mechanism by which authoritarian leaders can visibly demonstrate their domestic vulnerability. Because protests in authoritarian […]

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Click here to read the full text report.
Here is a summary via American Forces Press Service of statements by David F. Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, at the time of the report’s release (HT: Burgess Laird).
In extremely welcome change from last year, the 2013 report is detailed and substantive.
Text of particular interest:
ASBM
pp. 5-6:

“China is […]

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Here’s my initial read:
As its name implies, this latest PRC Defense White Paper provides an overall survey not only of further development of core PLA capabilities, but also of an array of secondary roles and missions that is broadening in nature and geographic scope.
In terms of specific data points, it is interesting that personnel figures […]

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What happened?
Today, on Tuesday 5 March 2013 (Beijing time), China revealed its latest official defense budget: a projected 10.7% increase to 720.2 billion yuan (US $114.3 billion) for 2013.
The English version of the relevant report released at the National People’s Congress, Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China, “Report on the Implementation of […]

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I can’t recommend this event highly enough, and I’m voting with my feet! Hope to see you there.
Fourth Summer Training Workshop on the Relationship Between National Security and Technology in China
The Project on the Study of Innovation and Technology in China (SITC), led by IGCC Director Dr. Tai Ming Cheung, seeks to understand the approaches, challenges, […]

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Alice K. Juda, “China and Its Military,” China LibGuide, Henry E. Eccles Library (Newport, RI: Naval War College, 31 October 2012).
This China Library Guide with useful links to research sources on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been compiled by Reference Librarian Alice Juda, who retired at the end of 2012 after 25 years of […]

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An essential reference for all serious observers of today’s PLA. You won’t find this incisive analysis anywhere else. A must-read!
Dennis J. Blasko, The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century, 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012).
From the Publisher:
The Chinese Army Today is a comprehensive study of the Chinese military, examining its ground forces […]

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View C-Span Video with timeline transcript here.
Click here for a webcast of entire event.
For Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s keynote address, go to minutes 27:45-1:04:18.
For my presentation on China’s naval and air force modernization, see minutes 1:22:50-1:33:13; 1:58:36-2:00:39.
In Strategic Asia 2012-13: China’s Military Challenge by the National Bureau of Asian Research, leading experts assessed […]

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