Andrew S. Erickson

This foundational survey of modern PLA studies reveals the state of the field just before the two decades’ meteoric growth to its present profusion. It specifically covers five dozen of the most significant works published over the past three decades, together with other sources emerging from China’s government and in then-still-new media such as the […]

People of conscience worldwide recoil in horror at the tragic repression continuing across Xinjiang. Policy-makers of conviction, in the Biden Administration and around the world, are weighing options to respond. To help inform these vital efforts, it is important to revisit just how much Chinese Communist Party’s efforts in Xinjiang have been militarized, securitized, and […]

For analysis of Chinese maritime policy and China Coast Guard development, it simply doesn’t get any better than this. Enjoy this fully updated one-stop library of my colleague Ryan Martinson’s work. It’s well worth reading all of these superb publications and interviews, even as they exceed three dozen in number!
Andrew S. Erickson, “The Ryan Martinson […]

Alex W. Palmer, “Deep State, Inc.,” Cover Story, The Wire China, 21 February 2021.
A nixed deal offers a rare window into how Chinese companies often work in tandem with, and sometimes on behalf of, Beijing.

Peter Kenilorea Jr. was scrolling through Facebook one afternoon in September 2019 when he came across a photo that caught his […]

Jennifer Rice and Erik Robb, The Origins of “Near Seas Defense and Far Seas Protection”, China Maritime Report 13 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, February 2021).
This report traces the origins and development of China’s current naval strategy: “Near Seas Defense and Far Seas Protection.” Near Seas Defense is a regional, defensive concept concerned with ensuring […]

Patricia Lourdes Viray, “By Number, China Now Has World’s Largest Navy—Report,” interview of Andrew Erickson, The Philippine Star, 18 February 2021.

MANILA, Philippines — In terms of ships deployed at sea, China’s navy has overtaken the United States, making it the world’s largest, according to a report.
Andrew Erickson, a professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “Tracking China’s ‘Little Blue Men’—A Comprehensive Maritime Militia Compendium,” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国, 12 February 2021.

As Coronavirus rages on, fishy things have been happening across the South and East China Seas, home to virtually all of China’s unresolved maritime disputes… Since Beijing remains far from being fully forthcoming and transparent, it is to be hoped […]

This Library of Congress report is indispensable for policy-makers and analysts alike!

Ronald O’Rourke, U.S.-China Strategic Competition in South and East China Seas: Implications for U.S. Interests—Background and Issues for Congress, R42784 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 8 February 2021).
If you have trouble accessing the website above, please download a cached copy here.
You can also click here to access the […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “Challenges from China” presentation on “Panel 1: National Security and Politics” at “U.S.-Japan Relations: Policy Challenges for the Biden Administration,” Zoom event sponsored by Brookings Institution and Indiana University Bloomington, 12 January 2021.
As the Biden Administration enters office, the United States, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific face difficult challenges, particularly from the People’s […]

For analysis of Chinese maritime policy and China Coast Guard development, it simply doesn’t get any better than this. Enjoy this fully updated one-stop library of my colleague Ryan Martinson’s work. It’s well worth reading all of these superb publications and interviews, even as they exceed three dozen in number!
Andrew S. Erickson, “The Ryan Martinson […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “The Chinese Naval Shipbuilding Bookshelf,” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国, 11 February 2021.

Republished as Andrew S. Erickson, “A Guide to China’s Unprecedented Naval Shipbuilding Drive,” The Maritime Executive, 11 February 2021.

Sometime between 2015 and 2020, China’s Navy crossed a critical threshold: it fielded more battle force ships than the U.S. Navy, making it […]

Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress, RL33153 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 27 January 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 […]

This Library of Congress report is indispensable for policy-makers and analysts alike!

Ronald O’Rourke, U.S.-China Strategic Competition in South and East China Seas: Implications for U.S. Interests—Background and Issues for Congress, R42784 (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 28 January 2021).
If you have trouble accessing the website above, please download a cached copy here.
You can also click here to access the […]

For analysis of Chinese maritime policy and China Coast Guard development, it simply doesn’t get any better than this. Enjoy this fully updated one-stop library of my colleague Ryan Martinson’s work. It’s well worth reading all of these superb publications and interviews, even as they exceed three dozen in number!
Andrew S. Erickson, “The Ryan Martinson […]

Andrew Sven Erickson Ph.D. (Professor of Strategy)ab, “Joseph G. Gavin, Jr. and MIT’s Contribution to Aerospace in the Apollo Era and Beyond,” Acta Astronautica, Volume 181 (April 2021): 167–89.
Highlights

Apollo 11’s semicentennial recalls the individuals and institutions behind it.
2 key contributors interacted intensively over 70 years: MIT and Joseph Gavin (’42).
Gavin led apex aerospace projects, including Grumman’s Lunar […]

Andrew S. Erickson, interviewed by Harry J. Kazianis, “How President Biden Should Support The U.S.-Japan Alliance,” 19FortyFive, 20 January 2021.

Republished in RealClearWorld, RealClearDefense, Defense News Newsletter, and Washington Examiner Defense Newsletter.

Editor’s Note: On this Inauguration Day, we spoke with Dr. Andrew Erickson, a professor of strategy in the U.S. Naval War College (NWC)’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI), […]

The 21st Century Japan Politics & Society Initiative (21JPSI) at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington is hosting a special event with the Brookings Institution this evening:
“U.S.-Japan Relations: Policy Challenges for the Biden Administration” (Part 1 of 2: National security & politics)
Online expert panel (co-organized by 21JPSI & […]

Never doubt the ability of a heroic individual to make a difference when answering the call of duty.

Officer Eugene Goodman, U.S. Capitol, 6 January 2021

May 2020-January 2021 Unrest-Related Arrests and Persons of Interest
There are peaceful demonstrations in the District of Columbia on a daily basis. The same rules apply for all demonstrations in DC and we welcome anyone to our city who wants to come to exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully. The Metropolitan Police Department will work with […]