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China Maritime Report #55: Loading The Well Deck: The Pla Navy's Maturing Role In Projecting Joint Ground Forces, Joshua Arostegui

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• Since 2023, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has established an annualized rhythm of loading PLA Army (PLAA) combat, engineering, and support units onto PLA Navy (PLAN) amphibious ships for international exercises. This integration signals a maturation in Chinese expeditionary logistics, providing Beijing with the proven framework to project sustained, multi-domain combat mass well beyond its regional periphery.
• Overseas military exercises in locations like Cambodia, Malaysia, and Tanzania serve as vital proving grounds for the PLA to stress-test complex port embarkation, loading, and well-deck management. The successful deployment of PLAA ground forces via PLAN lift proves that the multi-branch …

A Sovereign Peace: Reconceptualizing The Law Of Sovereignty In The Taiwan Strait, Alyssa Resar

International Law Studies

China and Taiwan’s enduring dispute stems from a fundamental disagreement over Taiwan’s sovereignty. Drawing on binary conceptions of sovereignty in international law, the Chinese government argues that there can only be one legitimate Chinese sovereign—and that China is this sovereign. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s current government maintains that the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official title) is itself a sovereign, independent entity. As the two governments cling fiercely to their positions, bilateral diplomacy has ceased, and the risk of catastrophic war has risen.

This article argues that international law nonetheless offers the conceptual tools needed to build peace in the Taiwan Strait by …

Cmsi Translations #31: Joint Air And Missile Defense Operations In The Maritime Domain Must Emphasize And Strengthen The “Four Joint Functions”, Nan Xiang, Xie Lu, Zhi Xi

CMSI Translations

With a focus on missions directed toward the maritime, and closely aligning with the objectives of the “Three Major Strategic Capabilities,” this article outlines four critical functions to enhance joint air and missile defense capabilities: strengthening joint situational awareness through multi-domain integration and all-domain reconnaissance and surveillance; optimizing command structures and integrating systems to enhance joint command and control (C2); leveraging systemic strengths and deploying forces methodically to strengthen joint defense and countermeasures; and ensuring flexibility, agility, and efficiency to strengthen joint support. These efforts aim to achieve defense against incoming threats as early as possible and as far away …

Deep Seabed Mining And The Law Of The Sea: Strategic Competition, Institutional Failure, And The Third Age, Michael W. Lodge

International Law Studies

Edited and annotated speech by Michael Lodge, former Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (2017–2024), delivered at the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, on March 11, 2026.

International Law Situations: Internment Of Belligerent Forces, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This Situation examines the duty of neutral States to detain belligerent warships, their officers, and crews during an international armed conflict. At the outset of the armed conflict between the United States and Iran, Iranian warships sought refuge in India and Sri Lanka following the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. India and Sri Lanka, as neutrals, have a duty to detain those warships and their officers and crews for the duration of the armed conflict and take appropriate measures to render the ships and their personnel incapable of taking to sea during the conflict.

International Law Situations: Humanitarian Corridors, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This Situation examines the use of humanitarian corridors during an international armed conflict. While humanitarian corridors are not defined in international law, they have been used both on land and at sea to evacuate non-combatants, allow for the provision of humanitarian relief supplies, and provide for the safe passage of neutral shipping in areas of ongoing conflict.

China Maritime Report #54: Chairman Xi's Navy, Ryan D. Martinson

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• Xi Jinping has played a critical role in the Chinese Navy’s rapid transformation into a large, technologically advanced sea service capable of conducting an expanding catalog of maritime operations, from the littorals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Since assuming power in November 2012, Xi Jinping has participated in at least 15 engagements with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He has inspected multiple PLAN units, including the Navy’s two nuclear submarine units; attended the commissioning of new naval vessels; visited the PLAN headquarters; and presided over two major fleet reviews.
• In 2014, …

What’S In A Name? Much Ado About “War-Sustaining” Objects, W. Casey Biggerstaff

International Law Studies

Recent conflicts have renewed the long-running debate over the legality of attacking economic objects under the law of armed conflict. Within that discourse, observers frequently frame the controversy in relation to an abstract U.S. “war-sustaining” position. Critics often characterize the United States as advancing a distinctive and overly permissive interpretation of military objectives that allegedly departs from the targeting criteria set forth in Article 52(2) of Additional Protocol I. This article challenges that characterization. It concludes that the United States does not apply a separate “war-sustaining” lex specialis to economic objects. Rather, U.S. practice reflects a contextual application of Article …

International Law Situations: Economic Warfare At Sea, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This Situation examines what measures belligerents may take against enemy and neutral merchant ships at sea during an international armed conflict. Operation Epic Fury serves as the backdrop to demonstrate the applicability of economic warfare during international armed conflict at sea. Iranian-flagged and Guyanese-flagged vessels are operating in service of the Iranian economy and war effort. These ships may be captured as part of U.S. economic warfare against Iran.

International Law Situations: Blockade, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This Situation examines the right of belligerents to establish and enforce a blockade and the right to conduct visit and search of enemy and neutral merchant ships globally outside neutral waters.

International Law Situations: Belligerent Straits, Raul (Pete) Pedrozo

International Law Studies

This Situation examines the measures that belligerents may take to regulate navigation by neutral and belligerent shipping through international straits. Iran has imposed several illegal measures on neutral shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to manage transits through the strait, to include the imposition of tolls, establishment of a prior permission regime, and closure of the strait. This Situation analyzes Iran's actions under international law.

The Hand Behind Unmanned: Origins Of The U.S. Autonomous Military Arsenal, Jonathan Panter, Jacquelyn Schneider, Julia Macdonald

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Admiral James Stavridis: Sailor, Scholar, Leader, Christopher Nelson, Stanley D. M. Carpenter

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Set & Drift—Disposing Of Sea Mines In Operation Desert Shield: Developing Eod Doctrine In Wartime, Thomas Bernitt, Jason Gilbert, Michael Dalrymple

Naval War College Review

In 1990, during Operation DESERT SHIELD, the buildup to the first Gulf War, the United States began to amass a naval presence not seen since World War II. The Navy deployed eight aircraft carriers, three amphibious ready groups, and numerous smaller warships to the Persian Gulf alone. Prior to this, no aircraft carrier had entered the Gulf since 1974, because the Navy considered the water space too constricted for carrier operations. It perceived the chief threat to warships operating in the Gulf to be from the Iraqi air force—USS Stark had been hit by two Iraqi air-launched Exocet missiles just …

Research & Debate—The First Ai War, Thomas C. Linn

Naval War College Review

From the earliest human conflicts to today, human ingenuity in warfare has led to some of humanity’s greatest technological wonders. Recent developments within the Department of Defense (DoD, also called the Department of War) point to the most recent wave of warfare innovation: that of artificial intelligence (AI).

The Art Of Securing “Strong Places” Overseas—A History Of A British Naval Base In Oman In The Early Twentieth Century, Terence M. Nicholas

Naval War College Review

Securing a “strong place” overseas without disrupting local politics or agitating rivals is as crucial today as it has ever been. The experience of the British in northern Oman in the early twentieth century has more than academic relevance today.

Will Navies Prevail In “Generation Drone”?—An Australian View, Sean A. G. Andrews

Naval War College Review

The often-heralded obsolescence of traditional naval power looms like a specter over navies in the era of drone warfare. As with technological innovations of the past, however, there is a strong case to be made that innovation tends to transform—rather than displace—a navy’s role in a broader maritime ecosystem.

Artificial Intelligence Challenge To Strategic Assessment Organizations, Thomas J. Welch

Naval War College Review

As artificial intelligence—particularly agentic artificial intelligence—continues to evolve, defense strategists must understand its capabilities and limitations. Emerging technologies will impact established frameworks, practices, and rhythms, and strategic-assessment organizations in particular must maximize efficiency while preserving the human elements that are indispensable to strategic planning.

Cyberattack-Resilient Artificial Intelligence In Navies—Solving The Skill-Needs Gap, Chris C. Demchak

Naval War College Review

With artificial intelligence—cyber’s offspring—come several risks and vulnerabilities that must be defended against. The key to defense, as always, is having the right personnel in place to build resilience into the mission. To distribute critical manning assets correctly, skill-needs rubrics are well suited to ensure that the proper personnel are on hand to defend systems and execute critical missions.

Emerging Warfare Dynamics In The Algorithmic Age—Artificial Intelligence, Mass, And Deception In Systemic Conflict, Jonathan Compton

Naval War College Review

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems in both the United States and the People’s Republic of China is having a critical impact on the shape of future warfare. Shifting away from the traditional battlefield, technological advances redirect targeting focus from tanks and aircraft toward critical nodes across entire societal frameworks.

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, Sam J. Tangredi Editor In Chief

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Spring 2026 Full Issue, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

From The Director, Christopher Sharman

CMSI Quarterly Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, China Maritime Studies Institute

CMSI Quarterly Review

No abstract provided.

Volume 1 Issue 5 Full Issue - Strategic Projection And Operational Sustainment: Perspectives On Naval Support Systems, China Maritime Studies Institute

CMSI Quarterly Review

No abstract provided.

Cmsi Translations #30: Vision For Future Next-Generation Aircraft Carrier Supply Ships, Yin He

CMSI Translations

Given the substantial increase in sustainment requirements for the PLA Navy’s next-generation aircraft carriers, and acknowledging the limitations inherent in the Type 901 replenishment ship due to the technological constraints of its design era, the next-generation (新型) carrier replenishment vessel is expected to undergo significant modifications compared to its predecessor in several key areas

China Maritime Report #52: Everything Everywhere All At Once: The Growing Complexity Of Pla Amphibious Exercises, Jason Wang, Marvin Hamor Bernardo, Pei-Jhen Wu, Andrew S. Erickson

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• In August 2025, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) conducted a large-scale exercise to simulate an invasion of Taiwan. This “capstone” amphibious exercise suggests that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training and preparations for a future Taiwan campaign are becoming more focused, realistic, and sophisticated.
• The exercise consolidated elements from previous years into a single simulated operation. It integrated a floating causeway system, anti-landing barriers and obstacles, and amphibious Landing Craft Tank (LCT) vessels that landed forces directly onto beachheads.
• For the first time observed, the PLA conducted a phased exercise with simultaneous amphibious landings in three distinct locations. …

Cmsi Translations #29: Can “Armchair Strategizing” Secure Victory From A Thousand Miles Away?, Huang Lin, Xu Ting, Deng Xiaotu

CMSI Translations

In 440 BC, Mozi and Lu Ban—using a belt to represent a city wall and wooden tablets as weaponry—launched a "paper confrontation" in front of the palace of the King of Chu that changed the trajectory of warfare. This simulation of nine victorious battles not only neutralized the power of the State of Chu’s siege ladders in an abstract strategic contest, but also revealed the ultimate value of wargaming: utilizing simulated combat to anticipate the realities of the battlefield and employing logical deduction to avert the calamities of war.

Cmsi Research In The News, China Maritime Studies Institute

CMSI Quarterly Review

No abstract provided.