China's rapid development is reshaping the world in all dimensions. Chinese language open sources offer insights into these critical trends. While such materials are increasing constantly in number, diversity, and sophistication, only a fraction is available in English. The analyses available here, many based on sources not previously considered outside China, are designed to help bridge that gap--and thereby increase understanding of the most dynamic great power in the international system today.
Dr. Sarah Kirchberger and CAPT Christopher P. Carlson, USN (Ret.), “Neither Fish Nor Fowl: China’s Development of a Nuclear Battery AIP Submarine,” Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 22 January 2025.
On September 27, 2024, news broke that a previously unreported new type of Chinese nuclear-powered submarine, dubbed the “Type 041,” had suffered a major mishap […]
2025 Samuel B. Griffith Foundation Reading List
Purpose. To establish a list of recommended readings related to the legacy and scholarship of Brigadier General Samuel B. Griffith II, USMC (ret). This list will be reviewed by the Foundation annually and amended as needed to include key books, publications, and other media associated with Samuel Griffith’s life […]
Cui Yiliang, “Mission Command Is Not The Antidote,” CMSI Translation 13 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 13 January 2025).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED COPY.
From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
CMSI is pleased to provide you with two short, but important translations that address Chinese perspectives of Command at Sea. These articles […]
Wei Gong, “Strengthen Command Capabilities to Win Future Naval Battles,” CMSI Translation 12 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 13 January 2025).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED COPY.
From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
CMSI is pleased to provide you with two short, but important translations that address Chinese perspectives of Command at Sea. […]
Jamie Seidel, “Stunning Footage Reveals China’s Secret New Stealth Bomber,” News.com.au, 12 January 2025.
… … “These apparent combat aircraft demonstrators are part of a larger PRC defence modernisation – the post-war era’s most dramatic,” notes Professor Andrew Erickson of the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI).
“The scope and scale of China’s military […]
As we steam into the Year of the Snake, China under Xi is steaming full speed ahead, particularly at sea. Start the New Year right and navigate today’s 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 […]
Andrew S. Erickson, “The J-36 and Shenyang Stealth Fighters: China’s Great Aerospace Leap,” 19FortyFive, 31 December 2024.
China’s Two New Stealth Fighters: Heralding Defense Industrial Warfare: It’s that time again, when end-of-the-year advancements roll out in the People’s Republic of China…
China’s Two New Stealth Fighters: Heralding Defense Industrial Warfare: It’s that time again, when end-of-the-year advancements roll […]
Ryan D. Martinson, “Missing in the Gray Zone? China’s Maritime Militia Forces Around Taiwan,” The Diplomat, 24 December 2024.
While maritime militia forces are not playing a major role in China’s multi-pronged pressure campaign against Taiwan, they are not completely absent from the battlespace.
From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Military Maritime Watchers: What is […]
Ju Lang, “Mid-Life Overhaul and Upgrade of the Type 052C Guided Missile Destroyer,” CMSI Translation 11 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 19 December 2024).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A CACHED COPY.
From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
Numerically, the PRC has the largest navy in the world with a battle force of […]
Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Military Power: The Capability Forest Beyond Corruption Trees,” 19FortyFive, 20 December 2024.
This week, the Department of Defense released its twenty-fourth annual China Military Power Report (CMPR). Here are the most important revelations from its 182 pages that informed professionals need to know.
China’s Military Might, Explained
China’s armed forces are massive, well-funded, and […]
Just out in War on the Rocks—My take on the Pentagon’s 2024 China Military Power Report!
I offer both TL;DR for the 182-page document and a hard-hitting conclusion.
The bottom line: If Xi and the PLA were in the disarray some imagine, there’s no way China’s military could be developing, deploying, and exercising the way it clearly […]
Honored to have CMSI’s new book featured by Phelim Kine in Politico’s China Watcher!
“One Book, Three Questions”
The Book: Chinese Amphibious Warfare: Prospects for a Cross-Strait Invasion (a compilation of expert analyses of how a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might unfold)
The Editors: Andrew Erickson is a professor of strategy at the Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute; […]
The Department of Defense just released the 2024 China Military Power Report (CMPR)!
Access here the Full Text (cached copy) & Fact Sheet (cached copy).
Rollout at CSIS, 18 December 2024.
Watch rollout webcast on YouTube.
KEY REVELATIONS—MY TAKE:
By CMPR’s suspense date of “early 2024,” China already had over 600 operational nuclear warheads.
All of China’s roughly 400 ICBMs can […]
Now that the Department of Defense (DoD) has just released the 2024 China Military Power Report (CMPR)… you can access the Full Text & accompanying documents below. Since I couldn’t find a single-source location on the Internet, and the Pentagon has deactivated some of the previous links, I decided to make my own. Now you can […]
Andrew S. Erickson, “Chinese Amphibious Warfare: Taiwan Targeted, Scenarios Swirling,” The Diplomat, 14 December 2024.
Part two of a two-part series detailing China’s amphibious warfare and the implications for Taiwan.
As China deploys the most warships around Taiwan in its largest maritime operation in three decades, scrutiny of the potential military operations Xi Jinping envisions is long […]
Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Amphibious Warfare: History, Doctrine, and Forces,” The Diplomat, 14 December 2024.
Part one of a two-part series detailing China’s amphibious warfare and the implications for Taiwan.
Republished in RealClearDefense, 16 December 2024.
As China surrounds Taiwan with warships, it’s time to consider what military operations Xi Jinping may be preparing for. This first part […]
As we follow Admiral Miao Hua (苗华)’s fall and watch for more shoes to drop, it’s useful to reflect on Chinese open source methodology more broadly. With the PRC continually tightening up under Xi, the discipline faces rising challenges. Surveying the state of affairs and reviewing past practices from earlier years of PRC isolation offers […]
Read the latest and greatest from my brilliant my Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) colleague Prof. Ryan Martinson! Review his unique insights on PLA Navy personnel issues as we analyze Admiral Miao Hua (苗华)’s fall and watch for more shoes to drop…
For analysis of Chinese maritime strategy and policy, force development and deployment, […]
Tiffany Tat, Shadow Force: A Look Inside the PLA Navy Reserve, China Maritime Report 43 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, December 2024).
From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
The PLA Navy Reserve is an important and understudied element of PRC maritime power. The PLAN Reserve appears to be transitioning from a substandard backup force […]
Chinese Undersea Warfare: Development, Capabilities, Trends
Maritime Gray Zone Operations: Challenges and Countermeasures in the Indo-Pacific
Oxford Bibliography: “The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)”
China’s Climate Cooperation Smokescreen: A Roadmap for Seeing Through the Trap and Countering with Competition
Large-Scale Amphibious Warfare in Chinese Military Strategy
Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific
China’s Near Seas Combat Capabilities
Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) Development: Drivers, Trajectories and Strategic Implications
Asia’s Rising Energy and Resource Nationalism: Implications for the United States, China, and the Asia-Pacific Region
Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles
China’s S-Curve Trajectory: Structural Factors Will Likely Slow the Growth of China’s Economy and Comprehensive National Power
China, the United States, and 21st-Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership
China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective
China’s Energy Strategy: The Impact on Bejing’s Maritime Policies
China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force
Chinese Mine Warfare: A PLA Navy 'Assassin’s Mace' Capability
China’s Nuclear Force Modernization
