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Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Remarks At The 2025 Military Law And Operations Conference, Samuel J. Paparo

International Law Studies

Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Remarks at the Military Law and Operations Conference, September 8, 2025

China Maritime Report #50: Foggy With A Chance Of Surprise Attack: Pla Amphibious Deception In A Taiwan Scenario, Ian Easton

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) views deception as a force multiplier and war-winning weapon. The PLA leadership reserves a special place of veneration for wartime commanders who can employ deception to obtain surprise, something Xi Jinping refers to as “excelling at stratagem.”
• In January 1955, the PLA launched a surprise attack on the Yijiangshan islands, then controlled by the Republic of China (ROC) government in Taipei. This campaign remains a case study in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for how to conduct amphibious operations and catch defenders off guard.
• Empirical historical research shows that amphibious operations, while …

Ai Enabled Autonomous Weapons And Human Control: Part Iii: Human Control And System Operators, Lena Trabucco

International Law Studies

This article is the third installment of a three-part series on AI-enabled weapons and human control. Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping debates about military technology by challenging the role of human decision-making in the use of autonomous weapon systems (AWS). This article argues that effective governance of AI-enabled AWS requires moving beyond narrow conceptions of “meaningful human control” and instead recognizing a network of embedded human judgment throughout the weapon system’s lifecycle. This article focuses on the operator stage, examining the unique role of operators through guiding, observing, and terminating deployed AWS. Drawing on policy debates, doctrinal frameworks, and empirical …

Ai-Enabled Autonomous Weapons And Human Control: Part Ii: Human Control And Military Commanders, Lena Trabucco

International Law Studies

This article is the second installment of a three-part series exploring human control throughout the entire life cycle of an autonomous weapon system (AWS). The series aims to understand the decision-making process and identify key decision-makers to see how human judgment is embedded into an AWS's parameters. Each article in this series focuses on a different stage of the life cycle. The first article discussed the roles and responsibilities of software developers and designers during the design and development phase. This article looks at the role of commanders in decision-making related to AWS deployment. The third article in the series …

Cmsi Note 16: Confirmed: Adm Yuan Huazhi Removed As The Plan’S Political Commissar, Andrew S. Erickson

CMSI Notes

Key Takeaways:

• An authoritative source has confirmed what many had long suspected: Admiral Yuan Huazhi is no longer serving as the Political Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). As the chief political officer, the Political Commissar shares responsibility with the PLAN Commander for leading the service.

• While the details of ADM Yuan’s departure are unknown, it is very likely that he was a victim of the massive purge within China’s military that began in mid-2023. Unlike other senior PLA officers implicated in the purge, however, ADM Yuan’s status has not been publicly disclosed.

• ADM Yuan …

Ai-Enabled Autonomous Weapons And Human Control: Part I: Human Control And Machine Learning Design And Development, Lena Trabucco

International Law Studies

At the center of the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous weapon systems (AWS) is the challenge of human control. AI has the potential to reshape the boundaries of military capabilities. In particular, the increasing sophistication of AWS necessitates a deep examination of the balance between machine autonomy and the role and requirements of human decision-makers. In pursuit of this balance, the concept of meaningful human control emerged. It is a concept born of necessity and offers a platform to reexamine and redefine the scope of human involvement in critical and time-sensitive decision-making. MHC has become a defining feature …

From The Archives: From Revolution To Evolution: Expanding Methodologies In Pme, Lisa Kerr

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

The New Age Of Naval Power In The Indo-Pacific: Strategy, Order, And Regional Security, Arthur Wong, Catherine L. Grant, Alessio Patalano, James A. Russell

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Waging War With Gold: National Security And The Finance Domain Across The Ages, Anand Toprani, Charles A. Dainoff, Robert M. Farley, Geoffrey F. Williams

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

The U.S. Navy And Its Cold War Alliances, 1945–1953, Thomas-Durell Young, Corbin Williamson

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

The United States–South Korea Alliance: Why It May Fail And Why It Must Not, J. Scott Shaffer, Scott A. Snyder

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Russia And The Changing Character Of Conflict, Ian Sundstrom, Tracey German

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

21st Century Mahan: Sound Military Conclusions For The Modern Era, Rev. Ed, Michael Romero, Benjamin F. Armstrong

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

The Kamikaze Throughline—U.S. Fleet Air Defense From Imperial Japan To Drones, Tyler A. Pitrof

Naval War College Review

Since World War II, fleet air defense has been organized around the principle of engaging threats as far out from the fleet as possible, motivated by early failures to engage the kamikaze threat. This approach remains as vital as ever and progressively more challenging in the face of the contemporary threats posed by cruise missiles and—increasingly—by drone warfare.

Short-Term Solutions, Long-Term Problems—The U.S. Navy’S Approach To Mines During The Tanker War, Matthew Kastler

Naval War College Review

Mine warfare is a persistent threat to naval operations and ocean commerce, and yet it remains a persistent area of underinvestment by the U.S. Navy. The recent history of the Navy’s improvisational approach to emergent mine threats suggests how the Navy might succeed by “preparing to be unprepared” before it faces mines again.

Management Or Misdirection—Competing Logics For Military-To-Military Contacts Between Great-Power Rivals, Travis Sharp

Naval War College Review

Contacts between militaries have long been viewed as positive, but history demonstrates their potential for exploitation. The intensity of great-power competition requires a more thorough understanding of the logics behind these activities. This novel typology of the different motivations behind pursuing or engaging in contacts with another military suggests how planners and practitioners can best plan how, and whether, to engage with rivals and friends alike.

President's Forum, Darryl "D-Day" Walker Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, President, Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

From The Editors, Jonathan D. Caverley Interim Editor

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Winter/Spring 2025 Full Issue, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Cmsi Translations #22: Implications Of The U.S. Navy's "Sea Base" Construction For Equipment Support In Cross-Sea Landing Operations, Tan Benhang

CMSI Translations

Cross-sea landing operations (跨海登陆作战) is one of the primary forms of warfare for which our military is preparing, both for the present and for a period into the future. How to provide timely, reliable, continuous, and efficient equipment support for cross-sea landing operations is a critical matter requiring urgent research. The U.S. military was the first to propose the operational concept of “seabasing” to enable sea-based logistics and equipment support for forward-deployed task forces, thereby providing critical sustainment for out-of-area military operations. This seabasing initiative has important implications and provides a valuable reference for enhancing our military's equipment support capabilities …

Proportionality: Can’T Live With It But Can’T Live Without It, Geoffrey S. Corn

International Law Studies

Perhaps no other word in the international humanitarian law lexicon evokes more interest and emotion than proportionality. How States implement the rule of proportionality is perhaps the most hotly debated aspect of international humanitarian law. The indeterminate nature of the rule allows for its meaning to conform to whatever its reader wants it to mean. This is a consequence of the variables related to key provisions of the rule: How do we assess military advantage? What makes an anticipated military advantage “concrete and direct”? And most problematic of all, what is the meaning of the term “excessive”? All of these …

China Maritime Report #48: Great Inspectations: Prc Maritime Law Enforcement Operations In The Taiwan Strait, Julia Famularo

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• People’s Republic of China (PRC) law enforcement operations function as forms of cognitive and legal warfare. They represent a clear effort to undermine international maritime law as well as Taiwan’s sovereignty.
• The PRC asserts that the Taiwan Strait comprises multiple “zones,” to include “internal waters, territorial sea, [the] contiguous zone, and the Exclusive Economic Zone.” While China does not explicitly claim that the waters of the Taiwan Strait wholly constitute PRC sovereign territory, it clearly implies that it has the self-defined right to exercise distinct forms of control over different zones of the Strait.
• While stressing that China …

Cmsi Translations #21: How To Achieve A “Soft Landing” For New Recruits Joining Companies, Cai Qingjian, Miao Pingyi, Bao Hanliang

CMSI Translations

With expectations, dreams, and curiosity, in mid-June the new sailors who had enlisted this spring joined their companies. Saying goodbye to boot camp and moving to new posts, some new sailors experienced "acclimatization issues" in the unfamiliar environment. How can we help new comrades smoothly get through the "second adjustment period"? Each unit must carefully monitor the characteristics of the new sailors in addition to guiding and educating them. This issue's “Pathways of Youth” special edition brings you the stories and experiences of naval units as they work to effectively manage the integration of new sailors into their companies.

The Art And Science Of Naval Warfare: Essays In Memory Of Wayne P. Hughes Jr., Mie Augier, Sean F. X. Barrett, William F. Mullen Iii

Newport Papers

Retired Navy captain Wayne P. Hughes left an indelible mark on the U.S. Navy after a lifetime of service. The author of Fleet Tactics was outspoken in his determination to better the service to which he dedicated his life, throughout his Navy career and carrying through to his time teaching at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Following his passing on 3 December 2019 at the age of eighty-nine, Hughes's colleagues, students, and friends gathered virtually in June 2021—on what would have been his ninetieth birthday—to discuss his career, fleet tactics, and the lasting impact of his work. Collected …

Cmsi Translations #20: Spring Breeze Accompanies Us As We Strive Forward, Teng Hao, Yang Liu, Liu Zihao

CMSI Translations

Stories of a Northern Theater Command Navy coastal defense missile regiment doing a good job educating and managing new recruits in the spring enlistment period by closely aligning with human sentiment.

Cmsi Note 15: Plan Chief Of Staff Vadm Li Hanjun: Fast-Rising Star Of Training And Education Extinguished, Andrew S. Erickson, Christopher H. Sharman

CMSI Notes

Key Findings:

VADM Li Hanjun was a fast-rising star, terminated before he could make his full contribution and career achievements:

• VADM Li’s senior roles, including at the Dalian Naval Academy and as Commandant of the Naval Command College, suggest he was well known and respected across the fleet.

• Li has influenced a generation of current PLAN operational leaders. His relentless advocacy of high-intensity training in both service-specific and joint roles suggest he had outsized influence in shaping the trajectory of current PLAN training.

• The reasons for Vice Admiral Li’s removal remain opaque, but likely related to the …

Artificial Intelligence And Autonomous Systems In Warfighting At Sea, Nicholas Kadlec

International Law Studies

Much of the debate surrounding the military use of artificial intelligence (AI) tends to focus on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Those are systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further human intervention; sometimes pejoratively called “killer robots.” Moreover, debates often focus on their use and risks in land warfare. This land-warfare focus tends to invoke questions about the systems’ ability to distinguish between combatants and civilians on urban battlefields and the potential for mistakes. Legal debates about the lawfulness of AI and lethal autonomous weapons systems in warfare similarly tend to focus on land warfare and thus …

Cosmic Force: A Framework For Applying The Prohibition Of The Use Of Force In Outer Space, Erin Pobjie

International Law Studies

Outer space is becoming increasingly contested and existing approaches to identifying prohibited force in outer space lack a systematic foundation, hindering their application to novel challenges such as temporary interference with critical satellites or threats involving commercial space actors. This article addresses this gap by developing the first comprehensive, multifactorial legal framework for identifying a prohibited use of force in outer space. This framework provides a structured method for analyzing non-kinetic actions, temporary effects, and persistent hazards like space debris. It fundamentally advances existing legal approaches in three ways. First, it establishes when States can be implicated in a violation …

Cmsi Translations #19: Lessons And Thoughts From The Struggle For Command Of The Sea In The Red Sea, Zhao Jiaxu, Huang Chunyu

CMSI Translations

Since mid-November 2023 to the present Houthi armed forces in Yemen have continued to hijack and attack vessels in the Red Sea that "use Israeli ports" or "engage in trade with Israel" to oppose Israel's military operations in Gaza and disrupt military assistance to Israel from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries. As of April 1, 2024, over 86 vessels related to the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and other countries have been attacked. The Houthis continue to maintain control over the Red Sea, forcing vessels from these countries to risk damage and loss of life …

China Maritime Report No. 47: The People Of China's Navy And Other Maritime Forces: Extended Summary Of Conference Findings, Andrew S. Erickson

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• Xi Jinping has played a direct and active role in China’s naval buildup. He is China’s first great navalist statesman, the world’s greatest navalist leader today, and among the world’s greatest navalist statesmen in modern history.
• Notwithstanding major advances in ships, submarines, aircraft, and other hardware, Chinese military leaders believe that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) continues to lag behind in human factors.
• Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, the PLAN has dismissed (or is rumored to have dismissed) eleven flag officers. Beyond combating outright dysfunction, these removals are intended to prevent potential disloyalty and …