Andrew S. Erickson

On Thursday 24 March the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) will host the second annual CIMSEC Forum for Authors and Readers (CFAR), an event for our readers and the public to engage our contributors on their work and topics of interest. Thanks to the generous support of CNA we are pleased to offer a professional workshop on a range of maritime security issues. The […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Conor M. Kennedy, “China’s Maritime Militia,” CNA Corporation, 7 March 2016.

An important component of China’s local armed forces is the militia—an armed mass organization of mobilizable personnel who retain their normal economic responsibilities in daily civilian life. A reserve force of immense scale, the militia is organized at the grassroots level […]

Victor Robert Lee, “China Expands Land Filling at North Island in the Paracels—Satellite Images Also Show Dredging of a New Harbor Basin,” The Diplomat, 7 March 2016.
Posted with the author’s permission.

Satellite imagery from March 2nd, 2016 shows a marked expansion of China’s dredging and land filling at North Island in the Paracels. The newly manufactured […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Adam P. Liff, “The Limits of Growth: Economic Headwinds Inform China’s Latest Military Budget,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 5 March 2016.
With an official defense budget increase of 7.6% to 954 billion yuan ($147 billion) announced today, Beijing’s quest to restore China’s historic “greatness” and to attain international status as […]

At the National People’s Congress (NPC), Beijing announced a 2016 military budget of $146.67 billion (954.35 billion yuan), an increase of 7.6% from last year’s budget.
Regardless of what other Chinese defense spending is not reflected in these figures, China clearly has the world’s second largest economy and the world’s second largest military budget.
Balanced, sustainable […]

At the National People’s Congress last March, Beijing announced a 2015 military budget of 886.9 billion yuan (~$144.2 billion), a 10.1% increase from the previous year. This year, the projected military budget increase will reportedly be lower, around 7-8%. Regardless of what other Chinese defense spending is not reflected in these figures, China clearly has […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Adam P. Liff, “Installing a Safety on the ‘Loaded Gun’? China’s Institutional Reforms, National Security Commission and Sino-Japanese Crisis (In)Stability,” Journal of Contemporary China 25.98 (March 2016): 197–215.

Abstract
As China’s active assertion of its claim to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands has increasingly crowded the surrounding waters and airspace with military and paramilitary forces, the […]

A sweeping PLA reorganization is underway, with vast, far-reaching implications! Here’s what to read on this vital subject—analysis that’s most reliable and precise.
All content posted here with explicit written permission from the publisher.
Kenneth Allen, Dennis J. Blasko, and John F. Corbett, “The PLA’s New Organizational Structure: What is Known, Unknown and Speculation (Part 2),” Jamestown China Brief 16.4 […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “Chinese Military Maritime and Aerospace Development,” presented at Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program International Workshop, Lehigh University, Lehigh, PA, 3 March 2016.

Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program: Lectures & Workshop—3-4 March 2016
March 3, 2016 – 8:50am to March 4, 2016 – 8:50pm

CWP-Lehigh Conference Flyer
For March 3-4th, 2016 The China and the […]

A brilliant article that should command widespread intellectual attention.
Stephen G. Brooks and William C. Wohlforth, “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers in the Twenty-first Century: China’s Rise and the Fate of America’s Global Position,” International Security 40.3 (Winter 2015/16): 7-53.
Abstract:
Unipolarity is arguably the most popular concept used to analyze the U.S. global position […]

A modern mobile strategic SAM system, the 100-km-range HQ-9 is similar to Russia’s S-300PMU. Based on the information available, and resemblance to satellite imagery of an HQ-9 production facility near Beijing, it appears that China indeed moved two firing batteries of four launchers each to Woody Island within the past several weeks.

Please note: the HQ-9 […]

RAND Senior Political Scientist Dr. Michael Chase has just called a most interesting item to my attention: the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF)’s official music video (further details in Global Times article appended below). In it, the PLARF showcases its official song, in which it bills itself as “The Long Sword of a Great Power.”
Click here […]

A must-read packed with cutting-edge data and analysis on an important, timely topic!
Andrew Scobell, Arthur S. Ding, Phillip C. Saunders, and Scott W. Harold, eds., The People’s Liberation Army and Contingency Planning in China (Washington, DC: National Defense University Press, 2015).
How will China use its increasing military capabilities in the future? China faces a complicated […]

Victor Robert Lee, “Satellite Images: China Manufactures Land at New Sites in the Paracel Islands,” The Diplomat, 13 February 2016.
Posted with author’s explicit permission.

Image Credit: Victor Robert Lee, Digital Globe & ImageSat International
Satellite images show dredging and land filling by China at two new sites in the South China Sea, both in the Amphitrite group […]

A sweeping PLA reorganization is underway, with vast, far-reaching implications! Here’s what to read on this vital subject—analysis that’s most reliable and precise:

Kenneth Allen, Dennis J. Blasko, and John F. Corbett, “The PLA’s New Organizational Structure: What is Known, Unknown and Speculation (Part 1),” Jamestown China Brief 16.3 (4 February 2016).

Note: This article is part of a two-part […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Joel Wuthnow, “Why Islands Still Matter in Asia: The Enduring Significance of the Pacific ‘Island Chains’,” The National Interest, 5 February 2016.

The Western Pacific “island chains” are a persistent feature of Asia’s maritime geography. While their underlying fundaments remain constant, their specific strategic importance has evolved over time. Different major powers […]

Christopher P. Cavas, “Powers Jockey for Pacific Island Chain Influence,” Interview of Andrew S. Erickson, Defense News, 1 February 2016.

Pacific Island Chains Measure Regional Influence
WASHINGTON — The extensive chains of Pacific islands ringing China have been described as a wall, a barrier to be breached by an attacker or strengthened by a defender. They are seen […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Conor M. Kennedy, “Trailblazers in Warfighting: The Maritime Militia of Danzhou,” Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 1 February 2016.

This is the second article in a five-part series exploring Hainan Province’s maritime militia, an important but little-understood player in the South China Sea and participant in its ongoing disputes. Our first article covered the maritime militia […]

Thanks to Nizar Manek for bringing this to my attention!
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei’s Regular Press Conference on January 21, 2016
Q: President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti announced on January 20 that a series of agreements have been signed with the Chinese side to set up a free trade zone, expand Djibouti’s role for transshipment […]