Andrew S. Erickson

Galrahn, “Ex-Varyag Begins Sea Trials,” Information Dissemination, 10 August 2011.
Early this morning the Ex-Varyag was assisted by several tug boats as the ship ventured out on sea trials. …
Today China has taken the next step in what is a very long road towards the operation of an aircraft carrier. This specific step is both strategic […]

“China’s Carrier Sails into New Era,” Xinhua, 11 August 2011.
The maiden voyage had long been expected. Preparations for the trial were visible from many points around Dalian and had been regularly photographed and documented online by military enthusiasts.
China officially acknowledged the refurbishing project of the aircraft carrier only last month, saying the vessel will be […]

Bradley Perrett and Chris Buckley, “China Begins Carrier Sea Trials, But Has Far To Go,” Aviation Week, 10 August 2011.
China has joined the aircraft carrier club, with the ex-Soviet ship Varyag beginning its sea trials Aug. 10.
The long-awaited debut of the vessel marks a step forward in China’s long-term plan to build a carrier force […]

Austin Ramzy, “Troubled Waters: Why China’s Navy Makes Asia Nervous,” Time, 11 August 2011.
The last time the aircraft carrier once known as the Varyag generated this much concern, it was for fear it might sink. The ship was one of the Soviet Union’s last naval commissions, but construction at the Black Sea shipyard of Mykolaiv […]

Jeremy Page, “China Flexes Naval Muscle,” Wall Street Journal, 11 August 2011.
China sent its first aircraft carrier to sea, a defining moment in its effort to become a top-tier naval power that seeks to challenge U.S. military supremacy in Asia and protect Chinese economic interests that now span the globe.
The carrier, based on an empty […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “China Realizes Carrier Dream,” The Diplomat, 10 August 2011.
Following is a guest entry from Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson, co-founders of China Sign Post.
China’s Navy has finally realized its longtime dream of obtaining an aircraft carrier and putting it to sea. It has been a long road from the […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s ‘Starter Carrier’ Goes to Sea,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 43 (9 August 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
What’s happening
The long-awaited official announcement has finally been made.
The first confirmations came in Chinese: “China’s aircraft carrier platform is undergoing sea trials today (中国航母平台今日进行出海航行试验). Xinhua News: China’s aircraft carrier platform is undergoing sea trials on […]

http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2011-08-10/064322965657.shtml
中国航母平台今日进行出海航行试验
http://www.sina.com.cn  2011年08月10日06:43  国际在线

　　新华网快讯：我航母平台8月10日进行出海航行试验。

For an assessment of the larger implications of China’s deck aviation development, see Abraham M. Denmark, Andrew S. Erickson, and Gabriel Collins, “Should We Be Afraid of China’s New Aircraft Carrier? Not yet.,” Foreign Policy, 27 June 2011.
For operational aspects of China’s first carrier-capable aircraft, see Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson, “Flying Shark” Gaining […]

Gregory R. Copley, “Focus on PLA(N),” Essential Reading: Important New Strategic Literature, Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy 4 (2011): 16.
To US policy analysts who want to move beyond the immediate wars, the focus has to be on the People’s Republic of China (PRC), now unequivocally the “main target” for US strategic preoccupation and study. […]

Ronald O’Rourke, “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, 22 July 2011.
The question of how the United States should respond to China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the […]

Typhoon Muifa (2011), while losing strength, is still generating significant wind gusts and waves. It’s now heading for the Yellow Sea—right where China’s first aircraft carrier, the ex-Varyag, is moored in Dalian.
The PLA Navy undoubtedly wants auspicious conditions, symbolic and substantive, for the launch and sea trials of its first aircraft carrier, and will await […]

木子, 敖雷 [Mu Tsu and Ao Lei],【本報獨家】萬事已備 中國航母今出海半月 [Our Exclusive: Everything Is Ready, China’s Aircraft Carrier Sets Off Today and Will Sail for Half a Month at Sea], 香港商報訊 [Hong Kong Commercial Daily], 6 August 2011, A16.
For an assessment of China’s deck aviation development and its implications, see Abraham M. Denmark, Andrew S. Erickson, and Gabriel […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “What if the China Housing Bulls Are Right? Assessing Potential Commodity Demand from Urbanization in China’s Top 10 Residential Markets, 2011–2019,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 42 (2 August 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
Summary:

Chinese farmers are likely to continue abandoning tough and unprofitable farm work to seek their fortunes in cities across […]

Andrew S. Erickson, Response to “Chinese Missiles and the Walmart Factor,” Lt. Cdr. Matthew Harper, July 2011 Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 137.8 (August 2011): 6.
Professor Andrew Erickson, Naval War College, China Maritime Studies Institute—Lieutenant Commander Harper is to be commended for emphasizing the vital importance of transnational supply chains in today’s increasingly globalized world; […]

China Defense Blog, review of Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein, eds., Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2011), 31 July 2011.
This fifth installment in the series “Studies in Chinese Maritime Development” was the result of the fourth annual conference of the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) hosted by […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “How Do the Economic Outputs of China’s 8 Most Productive Cities Compare to Those of U.S. Cities?” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 41 (29 July 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
Economic discussions involving the U.S. and China often focus on national-level matters such as currency valuation, duties, and trade policy. Yet decisions and […]

Hu Yinan and Li Xiaokun, “Carrier Set for Maiden Voyage,” China Daily, 28 July 2011.
China is making use of an obsolete aircraft carrier that was bought from Ukraine and is being refitted for scientific research and training purposes, a top military spokesman said on Wednesday.
The undated photo released by Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday shows […]

This is simply the best net assessment of Sino-American undersea warfare capabilities that I have yet seen. If you only have time to read one study on this vital subject, it should be Coté’s. He offers valuable education on relevant technologies and related principles for all but the most specialized experts.
Owen R. Coté Jr., “Assessing […]

Craig Guthrie, “US in ‘Denial’ over China’s Pacific Strategy,” Asia Times, 28 July 2011.
HUA HIN, Thailand – Reports that China is close to achieving the same spy satellite capabilities as the United States and making advances in its drone and missile technologies are feeding into US theories that Beijing is pursuing a multi-faceted strategy to […]