Andrew S. Erickson

Ying Tian, “A New Pillar for Distant Oceans: Concepts for the Chinese Navy’s New Generation of General-Purpose Destroyers,” CMSI Translation 25 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 18 December 2025).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy Watchers: What kind of surface combatant does China’s […]

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Honored to see our latest coedited volume, “Chinese Amphibious Warfare,” on the Commandant of the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program’s 2025 and 2026 Reading Lists!

“Explores China’s military modernization and strategic ambitions for Taiwan amid rising Great Power tensions.”
One of five books on “Great Power Competition.”
Listed under “Strategy: Examines the art of aligning ends, ways, and means […]

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Maritime Geopolitics of the Belt and Road Initiative, CMSI Quarterly Review 1.1 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 9 December 2025).

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FROM THE DIRECTOR 
The China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) Translation Vault 
This series presents a curated collection of open-source Chinese-language journal and newspaper articles that were originally published […]

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John B. Hattendorf, Sailors and Scholars: The History of the U.S. Naval War College, 1884–2009, Second Edition, Vol. 2 (Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 2025), 546–49, 553–54; 412–13, 418, 468, 530, 640, 649, 695–96, 729.
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Military […]

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Rear Admiral Zhu Chuansheng, “Accelerating the Development of Marine Corps Combat Capabilities to Win in High-End Maritime Warfare,” CMSI Translation 24 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 19 November 2025).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
This CMSI translation provides unparalleled insights into the development and […]

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Andrew S. Erickson and Christopher H. Sharman, “Replacement Removed: VADM/General Wang Houbin—Naval Star Turned Rocket Force Commander’s Terminal Trajectory,” CMSI Note 17 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 20 October 2025; officially published 13 November 2025).
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this informally offered and shared EARLY-VIEW ADVANCE DRAFT COPY of the research […]

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Wang Xiangxiang, “The Elusive ‘Deep-Sea Beast’: Analysis of the Performance of the Main Equipment of the U.S. Navy Virginia-Class Nuclear Attack Submarine,” CMSI Translation 23 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 30 September 2025).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy Watchers: How does […]

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Andrew S. Erickson, “Confirmed: ADM Yuan Huazhi Removed as the PLAN’s Political Commissar,” CMSI Note 16 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 4 September 2025).

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:

China Navy Watchers: As Xi Jinping presided over yesterday’s military parade in Beijing, the spectacle on Tiananmen […]

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Ryan D. Martinson, The PLAN Corruption Paradox: Insights from the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, China Maritime Report 49 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 13 August 2025).

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: Stories of senior Chinese Navy (PLAN) leaders being purged for “corruption” appear with striking […]

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Tan Benhang, “Implications of the U.S. Navy’s ‘Sea Base’ Construction for Equipment Support in Cross-Sea Landing Operations,” CMSI Translation 22 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 11 August 2025).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy and Marine Watchers:
China’s military seeks to become world-class […]

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Julia Famularo, Great Inspectations: PRC Maritime Law Enforcement Operations in the Taiwan Strait, China Maritime Report 48 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 16 July 2025).

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Maritime Watchers: People’s Republic of China (PRC) maritime law enforcement operations function as forms of cognitive […]

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Cai Qingjian, Miao Pingyi, and Bao Hanliang, “How to Achieve a ‘Soft Landing’ for New Recruits Joining Companies,” CMSI Translation 21 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 10 July 2025).
News Observation on an Eastern Theater Command Navy Group’s Innovative Education of New Recruits

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From CMSI Director CAPT […]

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Teng Hao, Yang Liu, and Liu Zihao, “Spring Breeze Accompanies Us As We Strive Forward,” CMSI Translation 20 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 10 July 2025).
Stories of a Northern Theater Command Navy coastal defense missile regiment doing a good job educating and managing new recruits in the spring enlistment period by […]

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Andrew S. Erickson and Christopher H. Sharman, “PLAN Chief of Staff VADM Li Hanjun: Fast-Rising Star of Training and Education Extinguished,” CMSI Note 15 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 30 June 2025).

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: Another senior People’s Liberation Army Navy […]

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Ryan D. Martinson, “Exposed Undersea: PLA Navy Officer Reflections on China’s Not-So-Silent Service,” Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 24 June 2025.

From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
What do PLAN officers tell themselves about the capabilities of U.S. undersea surveillance systems? What are the acoustic vulnerabilities of PLAN submarines? Moreover, how should the PLAN […]

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Thanks to Brian Kerg and CIMSEC for a great opportunity!
Honored that “Chinese Amphibious Warfare” 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.

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I’ve summarized our book’s key findings in The Diplomat. Click […]

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Zhao Jiaxu and Huang Chunyu, “Lessons and Thoughts from the Struggle for Command of the Sea in the Red Sea,” CMSI Translation 19 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 3 June 2025).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy Watchers: China’s Navy is learning […]

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Andrew S. Erickson, The People of China’s Navy and Other Maritime Forces: Extended Summary of Conference Findings, China Maritime Report 47 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 28 May 2025).

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Maritime Watchers: Want to read the findings from the China Maritime Studies […]

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The Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) has just released the Quick Look summary of its 14–15 May 2025 Conference on “The People of China’s Navy and Other Maritime Forces.”
Excerpts selected by CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):

Xi Jinping is China’s first great “navalist” statesman. He considers willingness to embrace the […]

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