31 January 2013

Of Growing Naval Concern

Wolfgang Legien, Editor-in-Chief, Naval Forces; former Director of Politico-Military Affairs, Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, “Of Growing Naval Concern,” review of Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein, eds., Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2011); Naval Forces: The International Forum for Maritime Power 32.7 (July 2011): 85.
When China and the role and significance of its military […]

Continue Reading

31 January 2013

The “Malacca Dilemma”: Leading to Conflict with China or Dialogue and Cooperation?

Wolfgang Legien, Editor-in-Chief, Naval Forces; former Director of Politico-Military Affairs, Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, “The ‘Malacca Dilemma’: Leading to Conflict with China or Dialogue and Cooperation?”; review of 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); Naval […]

Continue Reading

28 January 2013

The Y-20: China Aviation Milestone Means New Power Projection

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “The Y-20: China Aviation Milestone Means New Power Projection,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 28 January 2013.
Escorted by a J-15 fighter and numbered “20001,” China’s domestically-produced Y-20 transport aircraft successfully completed  its maiden flight on Jan. 26 at the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)’s China Flight […]

Continue Reading

24 January 2013

Robert L. Worden Reviews “Chinese Aerospace Power” in Washington Journal of Modern China

Robert L. Worden, review of  Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein, eds., Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2011); Washington Journal of Modern China, 10.1 (September 2011): 76-77.
Andrew Erickson and Lyle Goldstein of the U.S. Naval War College’s Strategic Research Department have teamed up for the fifth time to produce an excellent addition […]

Continue Reading

24 January 2013

“China Goes to Sea” Reviewed by Diana Sweet in Washington Journal of Modern China

Diana Sweet, review of 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, July 2009); Washington Journal of Modern China, 10.1 (September 2011): 73-75.
China Goes to Sea is a must-read for those interested in gaining a strong foundation to understanding the Chinese […]

Continue Reading

22 January 2013

Gray Matter for Gray Hulls: The Intellectual Software Powering the U.S. Navy’s Asia-Pacific Rebalance

Gabe Collins, “Gray Matter for Gray Hulls: The Intellectual Software Powering the U.S. Navy’s Asia-Pacific Rebalance,” Information Dissemination, 22 January 2013.
The following guest post is by Gabe Collins. Gabe Collins is the co-founder of China SignPost and a former commodity investment analyst and research fellow in the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute.
[…]

Continue Reading

17 January 2013

This Simple Ship Could Let the Chinese Navy Circle the Globe

David Axe, “This Simple Ship Could Let the Chinese Navy Circle the Globe,” Danger Room, Wired.com, 16 January 2013.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy now has an aircraft carrier, new jet fighters to fly off the flattop and even new submarines and guided-missile destroyers able to protect the refurbished Soviet carrier. And with the successful first […]

Continue Reading

12 January 2013

Chinese Statesmen and the Use of Air Power

Andrew S. Erickson, “Chinese Statesmen and the Use of Air Power,” in Robin Higham and Mark Parillo, eds., The Influence of Airpower upon History: Statesmanship, Diplomacy, and Foreign Policy since 1903 (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2013), 237-71.
The development of airpower and its influence on history has been primarily a Western narrative, with American, European, and even Russian centers. […]

Continue Reading

07 January 2013

Limited Liftoff Looming: Y-20 Transport Prepares for 1st Test Flight

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Limited Liftoff Looming: Y-20 Transport Prepares for 1st Test Flight,” The Diplomat, 8 January 2013.
In 2011 and 2012, China flight-tested stealth fighter prototypes developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (J-20) and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (J-31). In 2013, Xi’an Aircraft Corporation (XAC) will look to get into the new aircraft game by […]

Continue Reading

04 January 2013

Eye on China: 10 Key Trends to Watch in the Year of the Snake

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Eye on China: 10 Key Trends to Watch in the Year of the Snake,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 4 January 2013.
As 2013 dawns, following a yearof policy uncertainty and leadership transition , China looms large as a key force that will shape global economic and security events. […]

Continue Reading

31 December 2012

Latest Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report—Ronald O’Rourke, “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress”

Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 10 December 2012), RL33153, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33153.pdf.
Summary
The question of how the United States should respond to China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. The question is of particular importance to […]

Continue Reading

29 December 2012

Transatlantic Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Transatlantic Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific,” in Patryk Pawlak, ed., Look East, Act East: Transatlantic Agendas in the Asia Pacific, Report 13 (Brussels: European Union Institute for Security Studies, 18 December 2012), 38–44.
Introduction
Europe and the United States stand at a critical crossroads as regards their individual positions […]

Continue Reading

25 December 2012

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #69–Elephant in the Room? Are mining companies on target as they look to India to help compensate for China’s lost commodity demand growth?

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Elephant in the Room? Are Mining Companies on Target as They Look to India to Help Compensate for China’s Lost Commodity Demand Growth?” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 69 (23 December 2012).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
China’s economy continues to produce a chorus of negative news—slowing earthmover sales, weak coal […]

Continue Reading

19 December 2012

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #68–China Military Jet Engine Development Overview: An eReader

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China Military Jet Engine Development Overview: An eReader,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 68 (19 December 2012).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
For the past two years, we’ve worked hard to bring readers cutting edge analysis of China’s military jet engine development. The motivations for our focus are clear. First, to […]

Continue Reading

19 December 2012

Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad

Roy Kamphausen, David Lai, and Travis Tanner, eds., Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad (Carlisle, PA: Army War College Press, 2012).
A vital contribution on a tremendously important but woefully understudied subject!
Brief Synopsis
To better understand the PLA’s ability to employ its developing capabilities in a variety of potential scenarios, this year’s workshop examined how […]

Continue Reading

19 December 2012

The Chinese Air Force: Evolving Concepts, Roles, and Capabilities

Richard P. Hallion, Roger Cliff, and Phillip C. Saunders, eds., The Chinese Air Force: Evolving Concepts, Roles, and Capabilities (Washington, DC: National Defense University Press, 2012).
This path-breaking study boasts contributions from some of the foremost authorities in the field. A must-read for everyone interested in the past, present, and future of China’s air force.
Book Description:
There is […]

Continue Reading

19 December 2012

What Does J-31 Tell Us About China

Feng, “What Does J-31 Tell Us About China,” Information Dissemination, 20121212.
There have been many articles written about the recent first flight of J-31. If you go to sinodefenceforum where I moderate, you can see pages and pages of analysis by amateurs like myself over what we think the roles of this aircraft is along with […]

Continue Reading

06 December 2012

“The Long Pole in the Tent”: China’s Military Jet Engines

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “The ‘Long Pole in the Tent’: China’s Military Jet Engines,” The Diplomat, 7 December 2012.
Much has been made of Beijing’s growing military might. Developing and producing high-performance jet engines could be the toughest — but most rewarding — advance.
The PLA Navy surprised many foreign observers yet again when […]

Continue Reading

27 November 2012

China Aircraft Carrier Style! Assessing the First Takeoff and Landing

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “China Aircraft Carrier Style! Assessing the First Takeoff and Landing,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 27 November 2012.
Two months after China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning was commissioned, and a year and a half after it began sea trials, an Chinese J-15 fighter became the first known fixed wing […]

Continue Reading