Andrew S. Erickson

Nobody outside of China has a better view into developments of concern regarding China’s armed forces than Admiral Sam Paparo, Commander, Indo-Pacific Command since 3 May 2024. Previously Commander, Pacific Fleet starting 5 May 2021. Four years of daily observation of PRC military developments down to the smallest externally observable detail. His prepared statement and […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Naval Leadership: Corruption and Capabilities,” Visiting Scholar Presentation, Fairbank Center, Harvard University, 14 April 2025.

14 April 2025 @ 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm, CGIS South, Room S050, 730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138

Speaker: Andrew S. Erickson, Professor of Strategy, China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S. Naval War College
Regarding China’s ability to seize […]

Since Xi assumed power in 2012, an extraordinary array of flag and general officers, as well as defense industry leaders, has been removed. By my running tally, this includes: 15+ senior military officials and defense industry executives; 8 CMC members, including Vice Chairman General He Weidong; 14 military deputies to National People’s Congress (since March 2023 […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Secret Weapon for Taiwan Invasion? Meet the Shuiqiao Bridge Barges,” 19FortyFive, 9 April 2025.

SMART BOMBS: MILITARY, DEFENSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY
China’s Secret Weapon For Taiwan Invasion? Meet The Shuiqiao Bridge Barges

China’s new bridge-barges are purpose-built for an amphibious invasion of Taiwan. In a contemporary echo of the Allied construction of the Mulberry artificial […]

Important, impactful insights! This vital authoritative report and accompanying annex show just how dramatically and systematically China has built up its space and counterspace assets, and just how aggressively Russia has developed and postured its own. Of fundamental concern are the sheer number of satellites China now has in orbit, particularly for ISR, as part […]

Ian M. Easton, “Operation Causeway: Taiwan’s Wartime History and Implications for the Current Strategic Environment,” presentation at Joint Special Operations University, Tampa, Florida.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH PROFESSOR EASTON’S LECTURE ON YOUTUBE.
VIEW A 1-MINUTE PROMO CLIP.

Join us for an eye-opening discussion on Operation Causeway, the ambitious but ultimately canceled U.S. plan to invade Taiwan during World […]

As we wind through the Year of the Snake, China under Xi is steaming full speed ahead, particularly at sea. Navigate troubled Indo-Pacific waters by consulting the latest version of Modern Chinese Maritime Forces, released today! This most recent iteration of the Second Edition includes sections for PLA Army (pp. 63–75) and PLA Air Force […]

Fang Zheng, “Tracking Their Wake: How Strong Is the U.S. Navy Today?” CMSI Translation 16 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 1 April 2025).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED COPY.
From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
The ongoing PLA show of force around Taiwan is grabbing the headlines with Taiwan’s […]

Over 29,600 views on YouTube as of 31 March 2025!
Captain Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.), Director, China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI), “China’s World-Class Navy ‘in the New Era’: Ends, Ways, Means,” Issues in National Security Lecture, Naval War College, 11 February 2025.

From the presenter himself—CMSI Director Chris Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: China seeks to build a World-Class […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Naval Leadership: Corruption and Capabilities,” Visiting Scholar Presentation, Fairbank Center, Harvard University, 14 April 2025.

14 April 2025 @ 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm, CGIS South, Room S050, 730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138

Speaker: Andrew S. Erickson, Professor of Strategy, China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S. Naval War College
Regarding China’s ability to seize […]

J. Michael Dahm and Thomas Shugart, “Bridges Over Troubled Waters: Shuiqiao-Class Landing Barges in PLA Navy Amphibious Operations,” CMSI Note 14 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 20 March 2025).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED PDF COPY.
From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:

If you read one report about China’s military developments today, read CMSI […]

K. Tristan Tang, “PLA Navy Enhances Realistic Combat Training: Observations of PLA Navy Operations Around Taiwan,” CMSI Note 13 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 13 March 2025).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED PDF COPY.
From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: What might an increase in Chinese Navy operations around Taiwan suggest […]

Brilliant analysis by my China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) colleague. Illuminates critical topic: Taiwan-relevant China Maritime Militia developments right across the Strait in Fujian Province!
Ryan D. Martinson, “Fujian Unveils Incentives for Militia Training for a Cross-Strait Campaign,” Jamestown China Brief 25.5 (15 March 2025).

Executive Summary: 

Fujian Province’s new “Measures for Guaranteeing Militia Rights and Interests” aim […]

Qian Xiaohu, Mo Xiaoliang, Wang Guanbiao, and Liu Bin, “Inscribing Loyalty While Endeavoring to Advance into the Deep Blue,” CMSI Translation 15 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 12 March 2025).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED COPY.
From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
The Party Committee aboard PLAN warships plays an […]

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, 14 March 2025.

American and Allied knowledge of the PRC’s Third Sea Force has come a long way since my outstanding Naval War College colleague Professor Conor Kennedy and I began our focused research following his arrival in Newport […]

In a new echo of U.S. construction of Mulberry Harbors to support the 1944 D-Day Invasion, China recently began construction of 3-5+ (perhaps 7 and counting) Shuiqiao bridge barges at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) Longxue Island shipyard in Guangdong Province, and has now been observed exercising with them—at a nearby beach close to the Southern […]

The Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI)’s publications are always free of charge, copyright-free, publicly released-distribution unlimited—and also available here!

CMSI publishes penetrating insights related to China’s military maritime developments through academic research using Chinese-language sources.
CMSI research informs U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps civilian and military leaders, and educates the joint force’s next […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “Adversaries and Planning Assumptions: China’s Navy and the Post-Cold War World,” in Evan Wilson and Paul Kennedy, eds., Planning for War at Sea: 400 Years of Great Power Competition (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2025), 317–39.

This chapter explains how and why the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) […]

This event is organized by the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University and co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University and the Korea Institute, Harvard University.

Harvard University, CGIS South S020, Belfer Case Study Room
1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Monday, March 10 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Panel Discussion — Three Years In, Prospects […]