Andrew S. Erickson

Please register via link here to attend this conference. Note: international attendance is by invitation only.
Dear Prospective Attendees,
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2015 Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) conference “China’s Naval Shipbuilding: Progress and Challenges,” to be held in Newport, RI on 19-20 May, is now open.
The annual CMSI Conference […]

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Gwynn Guilford, “Sand Fight: China’s Island-Building Spree is About More Than Just Military Might,” Quartz, 21 February 2015.
China’s playing Monopoly in the South China Sea—only, instead of building hotels on Pacific Avenue, it’s constructing helipads and, in some cases, whole new islands.
In less than a year, shallow reefs in the Spratly Islands have sprouted white-sand outcrops, […]

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For nearly a decade, Prof. Dutton has played a leading role in analyzing and interpreting China’s island and maritime claims, efforts to promote them, and broader goals and trajectory. He has done so for the scholarly and policy communities, the U.S. Navy, and other organizations of the U.S. government. He has drawn on an unusual—if […]

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Peter A. Dutton, “MOUs: The Secret Sauce to Avoiding a U.S.-China Disaster?” The National Interest, 30 January 2015.
The American and Chinese militaries have had some close calls and fatal encounters at sea and in the skies. The newly signed MOUs could help prevent future collisions.
On August 19, 2014, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance […]

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Yet again, CMSI’s Ryan Martinson demonstrates why his publications are always mandatory reading for anyone trying to understand China’s maritime policies and actions. I really cannot commend his work to you more highly. If you haven’t already done so, go back and read his previous articles published over the past few months. You’ll be glad […]

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A great debate whose time has come. Personally, I think Martinson strikes the right balance, but both experts have made useful contributions to the open source literature on this important yet understudied topic!
China’s consolidating Coast Guard is certainly acting in aggregate to further a larger national strategy of some sort; the question is, precisely how, […]

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Ryan D. Martinson, “The Militarization of China’s Coast Guard,” The Diplomat, 21 November 2014.
Plans for China’s still nascent coast guard suggest troubled times ahead in disputed waters.
With new “China Coast Guard” ships entering service at regular intervals, it is easy to forget that the China Coast Guard as an organization does not yet exist in […]

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Before I end up quoting everything from this seminal article, you simply must read it in full yourself if you haven’t already done so!
“the PRC has not built the world’s largest coast guard fleet to conduct search and rescue operations or protect the environment…. Nor would it make economic sense to invest billions of dollars… […]

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An interesting interview with my respected mentor, and former Princeton dissertation committee reader and Naval War College colleague, Dr. Jonathan Pollack. Anyone who knows Jonathan knows that he always forms his own conclusions and clearly says what he thinks, without fear or favor! He was a pleasure to work for, and with, in Newport, and […]

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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).
[美] 安德鲁·S·埃里克森 [Andrew S. Erickson], 莱尔·J·戈尔茨坦 [Lyle J. Goldstein], 李楠 [Li Nan], 主编 [Editors]; 徐胜 [Xu Sheng], 范晓婷 [Fan Xiaoting], 王琦 [Wang Qi], 万芳芳 [Wan Fangfang], 黄南艳 [Huang Nanyan], […]

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Keep an eye out for more great publications from Ryan Martinson! I can personally attest to his exquisite Chinese language and analysis ability.
This time, Ryan offers timely insights on a vital yet curiously-understudied topic. Check out the table he’s compiled here of the latest additions to China’s rapidly-strengthening and -expanding civil maritime forces!
Ryan Martinson, “Power […]

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The study that everyone wanted but nobody had produced before!
Kenneth Allen and Morgan Clemens, The Recruitment, Education, and Training of PLA Navy Personnel, Naval War College China Maritime Study 12 (August 2014).
Looking back at the parlous state of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the early 1980s, Liu Huaqing, its former commander, wrote, “All areas [of the […]

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Congressman J. Randy Forbes, “China. There, I said it. (Part II),” CSIS PacNet 47 (25 June 2014).
… If Congress is going to be asked to marshal the resources to sustain its enduring interests in the Asia-Pacific region — including a balance of military power that favors the US and its allies — I contended that […]

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“Chinese Sea Mines,” Underwater Weapons—Mines, Jane’s Underwater Warfare Systems, 19 May 2014.
China reportedly possesses between 50,000 and 100,000 mines, consisting of over 30 varieties of contact, magnetic, acoustic, water pressure, and multiple fuzed weapons. These are divided into mixed reaction sea mines, remote control sea mines, and rocket/rising and mobile mines. Detailed verifiable information on […]

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Peter A. Dutton, “China’s Maritime Disputes in the East and South China Seas,” Testimony before a Hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, 14 January 2014; published in Naval War College Review 67.3 (Summer 2014): 7-18.
Text differs in minor ways from that published online by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Other interesting articles from the Summer […]

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Bryan McGrath, “China Thinks ASW,” Information Dissemination, 11 April 2014.
Lyle Goldstein at the China Maritime Studies Institute is a national treasure (along with his colleague, Andrew Erickson), and he has teamed up once again with Shannon Knight from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center to produce a fascinating article in this month’s Proceedings, which is unfortunately behind the […]

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Andrew S. Erickson, “Chinese Air- and Space-Based ISR: Integrating Aerospace Combat Capabilities over the Near Seas,” in Peter A. Dutton, Andrew S. Erickson, and Ryan D. Martinson, eds., China’s Near Seas Combat Capabilities, Naval War College China Maritime Study 11 (February 2014), 87-117.
China’s progressively more potent naval platforms, aircraft, and missiles are increasingly capable of holding U.S. Navy platforms and their supporting assets at risk in the […]

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Peter A. Dutton, Andrew S. Erickson, and Ryan D. Martinson, eds., China’s Near Seas Combat Capabilities, Naval War College China Maritime Study 11 (February 2014).
This edited volume explores China’s claims and capabilities within and around the ‘First Island Chain,’ the so-called ‘Near Seas.’ It assesses the rapidly evolving situations of concern in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and […]

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Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, No Substitute for Experience: Chinese Anti-Piracy Operations in the Gulf of Aden, Naval War College China Maritime Study 10 (November 2013).
In this carefully researched, comprehensive, and highly detailed study, the authors address six major aspects of China’s anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden since their inception in December 2008: Modern […]

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