Andrew S. Erickson

The Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI)’s publications are always free of charge, copyright-free, publicly released-distribution unlimited—and also available here!

• CMSI publishes penetrating insights related to China’s military maritime developments through academic research using Chinese-language sources.
• CMSI research informs U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps civilian and military leaders, and educates the joint force’s next generation of warfighters.

CMSI’s Mission-focused product lines include Quarterly Newsletters, Translations, Notes, Reports, “Red Book” Monographs, and Edited Volumes (“Studies in Chinese Maritime Development”).

• Click here to access and download curated links, citations, summaries, key content, and cached PDFs of all CMSI publications.
• Read all about our 20-year history here!
• Get your own copy of our new award-winning book, Chinese Amphibious Warfare: Prospects for a Cross-Strait Invasion, which has been named the Samuel B. Griffith Foundation’s 2025 Publication of the Year and selected for the Commandant of the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program’s 2025 Reading List.

Our formal website is: https://usnwc.edu/cmsi

CHINA MARITIME STUDIES INSTITUTE MISSIONS:

NWC Mission: “The mission of the United States Naval War College is to educate tomorrow’s leaders, inform today’s decision-makers, and engage with allies and partners on all matters of naval power in order to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war.”

The China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) enables scholars to perform academic research from Chinese-language sources to develop deeper insight into key aspects of China’s maritime development, capabilities and trends. CMSI publishes research to inform the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, advise U.S. civilian and military leaders and educate the joint force’s next generation of warfighters.

CMSI works for the Center for Naval Warfare Studies, as a research team supporting the Strategic and Operational Research Department. CMSI allows the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to better understand China’s approach to building and using maritime power in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

CMSI Missions: Research, Write, Advise, Educate, Engage — www.usnwc.edu/cmsi

CMSI’s lines of effort are as follows:

• Conduct research in scholarly primary source, Chinese-language literature.
• Write and publish books, monographs, and articles on Chinese maritime developments, prioritizing content that is valuable to the fleet.
• Advise current naval, joint, and civilian national security decision-makers, including the Chief of Naval Operations, fleet commanders, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Intelligence Council, the National Security Council, and Congress.
• Educate future naval, joint, and civilian national security decision-makers through participation in the U.S. Naval War College core and electives curriculum, research groups, lectures of opportunity, and faculty development.
• Engage with U.S. allies and partners through collaboration with both the wider academic and professional communities.

Accordingly:

• CMSI publishes penetrating insights related to China’s military maritime developments through academic research using Chinese-language sources.
• CMSI research informs USN and USMC civilian and military leaders, and educates the joint force’s next generation of warfighters.
• 6 product lines: Edited Conference Volumes, China Maritime Studies, China Maritime Reports, CMSI Notes, CMSI Translations, Quarterly Newsletter.

China Maritime Studies Institute Conferences

These conferences serve to stimulate focused research and foster dialogue among topic experts resulting in enhanced understanding and continued productive research and analysis on focus areas.

China Maritime Studies Institute Faculty

Our experienced and renowned faculty have years of earned expertise across a wide range of naval, professional, and academic focus areas. To learn more, please access the Naval War College online directory here.

CMSI Faculty Publications

For a full listing of current publications written by CMSI faculty, please click here.

CHINA MARITIME STUDIES INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS:

• CMSI News is a one-stop shop showcasing our publications and activities.
  • This quarterly bulletin contains links to CMSI comments or interviews captured in media, catalogs our translations, highlights engagements, and previews upcoming CMSI events.
• CMSI Translations are annotated translations of key Chinese publications.
• CMSI Notes are short, timely analyses of recent China maritime events.
• CMSI China Maritime Reports are short papers exploring topics of current interest related to China’s rise as a maritime power.
  • Written by CMSI members and other experts at the direction of CMSI Director Christopher H. Sharman, they cover topics as diverse as China’s maritime militia, overseas port development, and amphibious warfare.
• CMSI China Maritime Studies “Red Books” are monograph-length, in-depth research reports written by one or more authors or which contain a collection of contributed chapters edited by one or more editors.
  • The China Maritime Studies are extended research projects that the Editor, CMSI Director, the Center for Naval Warfare Studies Dean, and Naval Warfare College President consider of particular interest to policy makers, scholars, and analysts. Naval War College Press prepares and publishes these studies for CMSI.
• CMSI “Studies in Chinese Maritime Development” Edited Conference Volumes are books of proceedings containing contributed chapters, generally based on presented papers, edited by one or more editors.
  • CMSI has hosted conferences at the U.S. Naval War College since 2005. The following edited volumes have been published as a result of these now-biennial conferences:
  • Andrew S. Erickson, Conor M. Kennedy, and Ryan D. Martinson, eds., Chinese Amphibious Warfare: Prospects for a Cross-Strait Invasion (Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 2024).
    • Selected for the Commandant of the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program’s 2025 Reading List.
    • Named 2025 Publication of the Year by the Samuel B. Griffith Foundation.
  • Andrew S. Erickson and Ryan D. Martinson, eds., China’s Maritime Gray Zone Operations (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2019; paperback 2023).
  • Andrew S. Erickson, ed., Chinese Naval Shipbuilding: An Ambitious and Uncertain Course (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2016; paperback 2023).
  • Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein, Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2011).
  • Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, and Nan Li, eds., China, the United States, and 21st Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2010).
  • Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, and Carnes Lord, eds., China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2009; paperback 2021).
  • Gabriel B. Collins, Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, and William S. Murray, eds., China’s Energy Strategy: The Impact on Beijing’s Maritime Policies (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2008).
  • Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, William S. Murray, and Andrew R. Wilson, eds., China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2007).