Andrew S. Erickson

The PRC already targets Taiwan and its vicinity with numerous ballistic and cruise missile systems!
China has three hypersonic test vehicles, which may support a future hypersonic cruise missile…
…and is developing two air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs), one possibly nuclear.
Check out the extensive graphics, tables & data offered here!
NASIC, DIBMAC release unclassified missile assessment
By NASIC Public Affairs / […]

Conor Kennedy, “Ramping the Strait: Quick and Dirty Solutions to Boost Amphibious Lift,” Jamestown China Brief 21.14 (16 July 2021).

Introduction
The threat of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) using military force to coerce or perhaps launch an amphibious invasion of Taiwan has received significant attention in the past year. Meanwhile, the recent commissioning of the PLA […]

A fascinating, thought-provoking piece! It opens a critical window on past, present, and possible futures of America’s merchant marine and its manifold PRC counterpart efforts. China clearly views the commercial component of state-supported shipbuilding, transportation, and seapower as critical to comprehensive capabilities. How much less complete in its approach can America afford to be? Anyone […]

This pithy report surveys important overarching dynamics of this brave re(new)ed era involving competition with China and Russia…
Ronald O’Rourke, Renewed Great Power Competition: Implications for Defense—Issues for Congress, R43838 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 8 July 2021).
If you have trouble accessing the website above, please download a cached copy here.
You can also click here to access the report […]

Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress, RL33153 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 1 July 2021).
Having trouble accessing the website above? Please download a cached copy here!
You can also click here to access the report via the public CRS website.

In addition to his continuous incremental improvements, Ronald O’Rourke has revised this latest edition […]

Conor M. Kennedy is a research associate at the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). At CMSI, his research focuses on Chinese military development and maritime strategy. He has also furnished dozens of annotated translations to support the work of analysts and decision-makers. Kennedy received his B.A. in Political Science and Chinese language […]

The gonzo world of defense journalism has long attracted some colorful characters. Gatherings at military expos offer transnational tales replete with riveting revelations… and stories of sometimes-shocking risk acceptance. Within this fascinating community, there have been few professionals with the self-discipline, purposeful dedication, and career longevity of Wendell Minnick. And I certainly do not know […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “Info-Tech Opportunities: Data Sharing and MDA in the Indo-Pacific,” presented via Blackboard to audience across greater Indian Ocean Region for “Maritime Domain and Technology Transformations: A Workshop on Navigating Technological Applications’,” sponsored by Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, 17 June 2021.
Pleased to present on […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s South China Sea Approach: Maritime Gray Zone Operations,” presentation for “Threat Assessment of the PRC South China Sea Policy,” East-West Center webinar with Indonesian Journalists via Zoom, 8 June 2021.

Honored to participate in this great event organized by Vice President and Washington Office Director Dr. Satu Limaye and his East-West Center […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “The Andrew Rhodes Bookshelf: Charting the Indo-Pacific with Maps, History & Geostrategy,” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国, 2 July 2021.
Andrew J. Rhodes is a career civil servant who has served as an expert in Asia-Pacific affairs in a variety of analytic, advisory, and staff positions across the Department of Defense and the […]

Manfred Meyer (edited by Larry Bond and Chris Carlson), Modern Chinese Maritime Forces (Admiralty Trilogy Group, 1 July 2021).

“A compilation of ships and boats of the Chinese Navy, Coast Guard, Maritime Militia and other state authorities”
In terms of ship numbers, each of China’s three sea forces is the world’s largest by a large margin. For the […]

Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), hits the nail on the head! Xi has put CCP-directed policy on a highest-possible-stakes fast track for the 15 years between now and 2035, when he will be 82:
“In order to seize temporary advantages & forestall domestic challenges, Xi […]

Fascinating new Naval War College Review article by NWC highest-distinction grad & China Maritime Studies Institute affiliate Andrew Rhodes! Innovative interdisciplinary insights…
Andrew Rhodes, “The 1988 Blues—Admirals, Activists, and the Development of the Chinese Maritime Identity,” Naval War College Review 74.2 (Spring 2021): 61–79.
This article captures the nexus of culture and strategy in describing a key […]

For analysis of Chinese maritime strategy and policy, force development and deployment, and other pressing issues across the waterfront, it simply doesn’t get any better than this treasure trove. Since May 2016 I have periodically compiled and curated my Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) colleague Prof. Ryan Martinson’s superb publications. Now you can enjoy this […]

The Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) has just released the Quick Look summary of its 4–6 May 2021 Conference on “Large-Scale Amphibious Warfare in Chinese Military Strategy.”
***Please kindly note that this Quick Look summary DOES NOT represent the views of any one individual participant, or assessments of the U.S. government.***
This conference seeks to increase […]

Worth watching and reading in full! The Senate Armed Services Committee had the good sense to invite a varied set of top-caliber experts to offer complementary assessments. Among their many contributions, Pottinger frames, Medeiros contextualizes, Greitens situates, and Glaser recommends…

Hearing on “The United States’ Strategic Competition with China”
Senate Armed Services Committee
Date: Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Time: 09:30 AM
Location: Dirksen […]

Eric Heginbotham, Chinese Views of the Military Balance in the Western Pacific, China Maritime Report 14 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, June 2021).

Dr. Eric Heginbotham is a principal research scientist at MIT’s Center for International Studies and a specialist in Asian security issues. Before joining MIT, he was a senior political […]

Dr. Joel Wuthnow is a senior research fellow in the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs within the Institute for National for Strategic Studies at the U.S. National Defense University (NDU).

Wuthnow’s research areas include Chinese foreign and security policy, Chinese military affairs, U.S.-China relations, and strategic developments in East Asia. In addition to his […]

Caitlin Campbell, China’s Military: The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) R46808 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 4 June 2021).
Click here to download a cached copy.

China’s military modernization is a major factor driving some observers’ concerns about China’s rise, China’s intentions toward the United States and its allies and partners, and the role China aspires to play in the […]