Andrew S. Erickson

Daniel J. Kostecka, “From the Sea: PLA Doctrine and the Employment of Sea-Based Airpower,” Naval War College Review 64.3 (Summer 2011): 10-30.
Despite an impressive naval modernization over the past two decades, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) currently possesses little in the way of force-projection capabilities. The development of force projection through the acquisition of […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “A Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with Chinese Characteristics: Step 1,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 34 (1 May 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©

In late February 2011, the National People’s Congress ratified an amendment to China’s Criminal Law that makes it illegal for PRC nationals and companies to bribe foreign government […]

By MICHAEL WINES
Published: April 25, 2011
BEIJING — The J-15 Flying Shark is China’s newest attack jet, a sinuous fighter with the folding wings, shortened tail cone and bulked-up landing gear it needs to serve on China’s first aircraft carrier, which is expected to start sea trials soon. It is indisputable evidence of China’s growing mastery of military […]

Oriana Skylar Mastro, “Signaling and Military Provocation in Chinese National Security Strategy: A Closer Look at the Impeccable Incident,” Journal of Strategic Studies, 34.2 (April 2011): 219-44.
On 8 March 2009, five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in close proximity to the US Naval Ship (USNS) Impeccable. This paper seeks to explain the incident and […]

Mark Stokes, “Expansion of China’s Ballistic Missile Infrastructure Opposite Taiwan,” AsiaEye Blog, 18 April 2011.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Second Artillery Force appears to be in the midst of a significant expansion of its ballistic missile infrastructure opposite Taiwan. Public statements made by senior authorities in the U.S. and Taiwan indicate that the […]

Wendell Minnick, “Sea Trials Expected for China’s 1st Carrier,” Defense News, 18 April 2011.
TAIPEI — China is expected to begin harbor trials of its first aircraft carrier this summer, with near-sea and open-sea trials starting next year, a Taiwan defense official said.

But aircraft for the Soviet-built Varyag are not expected to be ready […]

China’s Strategy for the Near Seas

U.S. Naval War College
McCarty Little Hall Auditorium
Newport, Rhode Island

May 10-11, 2011
This Event is Open to U.S. Citizens Only
By Invitation
The annual conference of the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) is a key function of the institute and has the aim of […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Southeast Trade Winds: East Coast and South Experienced Fastest Value-Adjusted Growth of All U.S. Regions in Exports to China over Past Decade,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 33 (14 April 2011).
China SignPost analyzed the data for U.S. exports to China by state from the 2010 U.S. Exports to China by State […]

Cdr. Paul Giarra, USN (Ret.), “The Naval War College Review: Why Tom’s Harsh Assessment is Off Target,” The Best Defense: Tom Ricks’s Daily Take on National Security, 7 April 2011.
The short answer as to why you are wrong about the Naval War College Review is that, just as one example, even if the Review did […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China Defense White Paper 2010: Better Transparency, But What Key Developments Were Left Out of the Discussion?” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 32 (5 April 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©

Reprinted as: Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Grading China’s Military Plans,” The Diplomat, 9 April 2011.

China’s National Defense in 2010 […]

Wendell Minnick, “China’s New White Paper Hints at Joint Ops,” Defense News, 4 April 2011.
TAIPEI — China’s air force and navy may be emerging from the shadow of the People’s Liberation Army, according to the latest version of China’s biennial defense white paper.


Released March 31 by China’s Information Office of the State Council, the paper […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China Aims to More Than Triple Its Oil & Gas Production in the South China Sea over the Next 10 Years,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 31 (3 April 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
New deepwater oil & gas exploration and production will likely complicate the South China Sea maritime security […]

Adam Segal, “China’s National Defense: ‘Intricate and Volatile’,” Asia Unbound Blog, Council on Foreign Relations, 1 April 2011.
China, in an ongoing bid to be more transparent about its military modernization, released the 2010 defense white paper, China’s National Defense in 2010, this week. …
After a quick reading, two things stand out.  First, as Andrew Erickson […]

Edward Wong and Jonathan Ansfield, “China Lays Out Vision for Its Military,” New York Times, 31 March 2011.
BEIJING — The Chinese military said Thursday that while the security situation in Asia and the Pacific was generally stable it was becoming “more intricate and volatile,” with no clear solutions for tension points like the divided Korean […]

Full Text (English): Defense White Paper “China’s National Defense in 2010”
Full Text (Chinese):《2010年中国的国防》白皮书
China’s 2010 Defense White Paper follows a pattern by now well-established in these biannual reports on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It offers some new details not present in the previous report, but stops well short of offering the degree of detail that […]

Andrew Erickson, Lyle Goldstein, and Carnes Lord, “When Land Powers Look Seaward,” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 137.4 (April 2011): 18-23.
Japanese translation now available: 大陸国家が海洋を目指す時.
How does a traditional land power like China make the transformation to major maritime player? Andrew Erickson, Lyle Goldstein, and Carnes Lord of the Naval War College suggest that China can draw […]

Michael McDevitt and Frederic Vellucci, “Two Vectors, One Navy,” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 137.4 (April 2011).
Aside from a strong national defense, world peace is now part of China’s official military mission. Serving both, its fleet could eventually resemble the U.S. Navy.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) development is best understood as proceeding on two separate […]

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J. Kostecka, U.S. Air Force Reserve, “A Bogus Asian Pearl,” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 137.4 (April 2011).
If closely assayed, the port at Gwadar, Pakistan—touted as part of China’s string of maritime gems—loses its luster, looking more like a counterfeit than the real thing.
China’s investment in the construction of the Port of Gwadar […]

James R. Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, “Mao’s ‘Active Defense’ Is Turning Offensive,” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 137.4 (April 2011).
When Alexander Gardner made this carte de visite at his studio in Washington on 5 February 1865, President Abraham Lincoln had the look of a war-worn leader. It was the last photograph taken of the President before […]