Andrew S. Erickson

CMSI Quarterly Review 1.8 (Fall 2026) (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 22 October 2026).
A snapshot of the Institute’s quarterly scholarship, research impact, and educational engagement.

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman, U.S. Navy (Ret.):
Where is CMSI’s research making an impact and how is CMSI supporting the […]

Yet again—this time thanks to pioneering research by Rear Admiral Philip Yu, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and Benjamin Rosen—CMSI offers insights available nowhere else in the open-source world!
This penetrating deep dive surfaces pressing questions:

What is the cost of China Navy reliance on Dual Command Structure (Commanding Officer-Political Commissar) decision-making and Party Committee Meetings?
Particularly during time-sensitive or […]

Despite its conventional-submarine-focused title, this analysis also offers deep-dive insights into why China is now focusing on nuclear submarine development by producing both larger SSNs/SSGNs/SSBNs + small/micro-reactor “SSPns” [e.g., Type 041]—the latter optimized for shallow Near Seas operations—as part of Xi’s directive to build a “world-class Navy” second not even to America’s.
As I explain in […]

Hot off the NWC Press! In the new Autumn 2026 issue of Naval War College Review, I’m honored to publish my personal reflection on the founding and development of the China Maritime Studies Institute.

Andrew S. Erickson, “Special Feature—Twenty Years of the China Maritime Studies Institute,” Naval War College Review 79.4 (Autumn 2026): 182–86.

From CMSI Director […]

Ryan D. Martinson, “Precluding the Powerful Enemy: A New PLA Concept for a Taiwan Conflict,” CMSI Note 25 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 14 October 2026).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China PLA Watchers: What does the PLA think it must do to […]

Admiral Gary Roughead, U.S. Navy (Ret.), “Charting the Course: 20 Years of CMSI and the Future of China in the Maritime Military Domain,” Keynote address delivered in the Mahan Reading Room, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, 24 September 2026.

Here is the official Naval War College writeup.
My personal reflection on CMSI’s founding and development is […]

Follow the latest developments in China’s growing nuclear-powered submarine force (pp. 20–22) and beyond with this new edition of “Modern Chinese Maritime Forces,” the most comprehensive open source PRC sea services inventory!
As we gallop through the Year of the Fire Horse (火马年), China under Xi is steaming full speed ahead, particularly at sea. Navigate troubled […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “Toppling Trees, Flourishing Forest: Why the PLA Navy Advances Despite ‘Corruption’-Related Removals,” Issues in National Security Lecture, Naval War College, 22 September 2026.
Click here to watch on YouTube.

This INS lecture examines an apparent paradox in Xi Jinping’s military modernization: even as unprecedented purges remove senior officers and defense-industry leaders, China’s military—and particularly […]

Eric Hundman and Connor Akiyama, Tightening the Institutional Cage: The PLA Navy’s Discipline Inspection Commission, China Maritime Report 58 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 28 September 2026).

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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: Who polices the people who police the PLAN?
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) […]

“China Maritime Studies Institute Celebrates 20 Years with Lecture by Former Chief of Naval Operations, Panel Discussion,” U.S. Naval War College Public Affairs, 25 September 2026.

China Maritime Studies Institute Celebrates 20 Years with Lecture by Former Chief of Naval Operations, Panel Discussion

The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) celebrated the 20th anniversary of the founding of […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “CMSI’s 20th Anniversary! China Maritime Studies Institute Established Two Decades Ago within Naval War College,” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国, 2 October 2024.
Yesterday, as a new fiscal year began, the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) marked twenty years since its establishment within the Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, Rhode Island.
I […]

Andrew S. Erickson, “The China Navy Leadership: Corruption & Capabilities Bookshelf,” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国, 22 September 2026.

Since Xi assumed power in 2012, scores of flag and general officers and defense industry leaders have been removed. This is part of a larger pattern across China’s entire Party-State-Military bureaucracy. By my earlier tally, Xi-era removals within […]

Su Ming, “How to Leverage the ‘Butterfly Effect’ to Cause the Collapse of ‘Taiwan Independence’ Elements?” CMSI Translation 35 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 31 August 2026).

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From CMSI Director Captain Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China-Taiwan Watchers: When is Taiwan’s electrical grid most vulnerable? When would an […]

Ian Easton, “Crossing a Hellscape: PLA Views on New U.S. Military Concepts to Defend Taiwan,” CMSI Note 24 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 26 August 2026).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China-Taiwan Watchers: How have PRC sources reacted to the Hellscape concept and […]

Article Compilations by Ken Allen —

China’s Army in 2025: Sources & Key Issues
Overview File: China’s Army in 2025
English-Language PRC Articles on China’s Army in 2025
Chinese-Language PRC Articles on China’s Army in 2025    

This summary was prepared with AI assistance and vetted by Ken Allen, who contributed key inputs. Unless otherwise specified, “Chinese” means “Chinese-language.”
Longtime People’s […]

Article Compilations by Ken Allen —

Overview File: China’s Navy in 2025
English-Language PRC Articles on China’s Navy in 2025
Chinese-Language PRC Articles on China’s Navy in 2025

This summary was prepared with AI assistance and vetted by Ken Allen, who contributed key inputs. Unless otherwise specified, “Chinese” means “Chinese-language.”
Longtime People’s Liberation Army (PLA) researcher Ken Allen has produced […]

Zhang Debao, Sun Yunxing, and Hu Xiaolong, “Research on Integrated Defense Against Precision Strikes by the Powerful Enemy at Sea,” CMSI Translation 34 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 4 August 2026).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China PLA Watchers: What lessons are PLA […]

Jordan Shaw, Andrew S. Erickson, and Christopher Sharman, “Vice Admiral Zhang Zheng Likely at the Helm: The PLA Navy’s Apparent New Most Senior Officer,” CMSI Note 23 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 29 July 2026).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy and […]

Ryan D. Martinson, “Testing Boundaries: The Lan Hai 201 Mission East of Taiwan,” CMSI Note 22 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 28 July 2026).

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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Maritime Watchers: Can a fisheries research ship become an instrument of statecraft?
According to […]