Digital Commons Network^™

Cmsi Note 17: Replacement Removed: Vadm/General Wang Houbin—Naval Star Turned Rocket Force Commander’S Terminal Trajectory, Andrew S. Erickson, Christopher H. Sharman

CMSI Notes

Key Takeaways:

• On 17 October, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that General (former Vice Admiral) Wang Houbin (王厚斌), Commander of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF), was among nine senior officers expelled for “serious violations of Party discipline.”

• A career naval aviator and seasoned PLA Navy (PLAN) staff officer, Wang rose rapidly—promoted to General (3-star) in 2023 and appointed PLA Rocket Forces (PLARF) Commander to replace disgraced General Li Yuchao.

• The official reason for Wang’s downfall—“serious financial crimes involving exceptionally large sums”—echoes a familiar corruption narrative that seldom tells the full story.

• Alternative explanations point to …

Securitizing Kinmen: China’S Gray Zone Strategy And The Evolution Of The Kinmen Model, Ian Murphy

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This paper examines the evolving dynamics of cross-strait relations through the lens of securitization theory, focusing on China’s strategic deployment of what it calls the Kinmen Model and its implications for regional security. While existing discourse predominantly concentrates on a potential full-scale invasion of Taiwan, this study shifts attention to the strategic significance of the outlying islands and the nuanced employment of securitization to exert indirect control. Utilizing Vuori’s (2008) framework for analyzing securitization in non-democratic contexts, this research conducts a discourse analysis of nineteen Chinese language media sources to dissect the speech acts employed by Chinese media and their …

Nationalism And Anglo-American Neo-Colonialism In Southeast Asia, 1945-1965, Wen-Qing (Wei Wenqing) Ngoei

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

It is tempting to treat the United States’ ill-fated military intervention in Vietnam in the 1960s as the desperate final gasp of a moribund Western imperial system. Certainly, scholars have described Washington’s military debacle in Vietnam as the end of America’s “short-lived empire” in Southeast Asia, emblematic of the broader, decisive triumph of Southeast Asian nationalism over western colonialism. This reading of Southeast Asian countries attaining formal independence after 1945, with tacit assumptions that colonialism and nationalism exist in binary opposition, tends to ossify when the region’s history is viewed through the lens of U.S. defeat in Vietnam.

In contrast, …

Threat Perception In Taiwan: Trend And Implications, Christina Chen

Journal of Strategic Security

The rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, driven by China’s growing aggression, have prompted Taiwan to explore ways to bolster its defense and deterrence capabilities. Given that successful deterrence requires the involvement of both military and civilian sectors, the Taiwanese public’s threat perception—specifically, how they view China as a security threat—becomes crucial. This article examines changes in Taiwan’s public threat perception of China. It finds that while Taiwan’s public threat perception has increased since the late 2010s, this shift is more nuanced. External events likely contributed to an overall rise in threat perception, but Chinese coercive actions were associated with …

Cmsi Translations #23: The Elusive "Deep-Sea Beast": Analysis Of The Performance Of The Main Equipment Of The U.S. Navy Virginia-Class Nuclear Attack Submarine, Wang Xiangxiang

CMSI Translations

In the vast expanse of the blue ocean, the U.S. Navy's Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine, with its exceptional performance and advanced technology, has become the backbone of the U.S. Navy's undersea force in the 21st century. As one of America’s most modern nuclear attack submarines, the Virginia-class leads the global development of nuclear submarine technology with its multifunctional and multi-purpose design, exceptional stealth, and powerful combat capabilities.

Interservice Rivalry: Examining The Relationships Between The Intelligence Organizations Of The Navy, The Army And The Oss In China 1939-1943, Samuel G. Peterson

The Ozark Historical Review

Intelligence gathering had a profound impact on WWII. In war-torn China, the US Navy, the Army, and the fledgling OSS contested with each other during the Chinese Nationalists’ fight against the Japanese Empire. The stories of the OSS, the Navy and the Army in China have all, until now, been told from three distinct but interrelated points of view. With each study solely based on a particular organization, bias toward others is inevitable. By synthesizing the sources together and weaving the different interpretations of events simultaneously, a clearer picture of the interdepartmental struggles can be seen. The primary goal of …

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 …

Book Review: Upstart: How China Became A Great Power, R. M. Ihme

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Oriana Skylar Mastro

Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Kelly R. M. Ihme, PhD, General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chair of Aerospace Studies and assistant professor, Department of Distance Education, US Army War College

Upstart: How China Became a Great Power, by Oriana Skylar Mastro, tracks China’s transition from a minor regional influence in the 1990s to a global power. The author developed and used the Upstart Strategy, which examines emulation, exploitation, and entrepreneurship, to offer predictive modeling that political and military leaders can use to anticipate China’s future trajectory. Reviewer Kelly Ihme applauds the specific and actionable recommendations for America and …

Parameters Autumn 2025, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Coercive Deterrence: Adapting Deterrence For Strategic Competition With China, Terry Tracy

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article proposes coercive deterrence as a core strategic concept to enable a whole-of-US- government approach to counter China through hybrid operations. For more than 80 years, deterrence theory has been characterized by the use of threats and force. In contrast, the article argues that deterrence can be achieved without either. A nation can exercise deterrence by choice—proactively shaping the environment to constrain the adversary to choices that do not threaten. The article examines deterrence theory, Chinese strategy, and case studies to offer practitioners a theory of victory in hybrid environments, synchronizing US interagency strategies through coercive deterrence.

From The Editor In Chief, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Autumn 2025 issue of Parameters. We open with two In Focus commentaries. The first, “A Case for Military Proportionality: Disabling Nuclear Plants” by Henry Sokolski, offers practical ways in which military planners can disable civilian targets, such as nuclear infrastructure, without undermining operational goals, alliance cohesion, or long-term political objectives. Our second commentary, “The Consequences of Declining Patriotism in the United States” by Neil N. Snyder, presents findings from a national survey showing a decline in patriotism, especially among Generation Z nonveterans. His article highlights a growing civil-military values gap with implications for recruitment and national …

Book Reviews, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

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 …

Taming The Hegemon: Chinese Thinking On Countering U.S. Military Intervention In Asia, Joel Wuthnow

China Strategic Perspectives

This publication is by INSS Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow. The monograph uses internal PLA writings to examine recent Chinese thinking on countering U.S. intervention in Asia, and finds that PLA experts emphasize efforts to leverage nuclear, conventional, and informational (space, cyber, and cognitive warfare) tools to deter U.S. intervention, but also advocate preparing for asymmetric attacks against key targets in the U.S. military system in case the United States intervenes anyway.

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.

Towards All-Under-Heaven: China’S Geoeconomic Strategy In The Asia-Pacific Region, Alfariza Dika Azzani

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This research aims to understand China’s geoeconomic strategy in reshaping the alternative international order in the Asia-Pacific region. China’s economic rise increased its geopolitical influence and significance as a global great power. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government, under Xi Jinping, has adopted classical ideas in its foreign policymaking, including tianxia. Tianxia is a classical concept of a hierarchical Sinocentric international order. An empirical study was conducted on several cases of China’s economic policy and analysed with the congruence method to determine the correlation between the tianxia concept and China’s economic policy. Tianxia served as a paradigm and justification for …

Anatomy Of An Ai Arms Race: U.S. And China Technological Dispute For Ai Leadership, Denisse I. Rojas Maldonado

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The history of societies and the emergence of powerful states have been marked by cycles of conflict and war, followed by periods of cooperation that foster international stability. Similarly, the Cold War era saw a significant rise in military and economic capabilities, which highlighted a security dilemma as the former USSR and the United States sought to protect their national interests. Currently, artificial intelligence has expanded the scope of invisible warfare beyond the atomic bomb. Some scholars like Paul Scharre advocate that there is no arms race in place, and others support the idea of a healthy competition and collaboration …

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 …

More Than A Numbers Game: Comparing Us And Chinese Landpower In The Pacific Requires Context, Brennan Deveraux, Joshua Arostegui

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

This monograph establishes a contextual baseline that serves as the framework for future comparisons of the US Army and the People’s Liberation Army Army. It examines differences in five key components of land warfare: the two nations’ landpower definitions, uses of land forces to build relationships, underlying warfare concepts, associated modernization efforts, and varying approaches to simulating land warfare in the region. In examining these components, the authors identify warfare intangibles that highlight analytical findings in a way that promotes future research. The existing scholarship comparing the two forces is often limited in scope, focusing on funding or comparing capabilities …

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.

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.

China-Taliban Security Ties: A Reimagining Of South Asia's Security Discourse, Amit Kumar Mr., Veena Ramachandran

Journal of Strategic Security

This article examines how China constructs a distinct security discourse on terrorism through its engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Moving beyond traditional materialist interpretations of security, the study draws on critical security studies to explore how China uses language, representation, and institutional practices to frame terrorism and project itself as a regional stabilizer. The Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has prompted China to expand its strategic presence in South Asia, particularly through economic diplomacy, intelligence cooperation, and regional multilateral and minilateral forums. Through qualitative discourse analysis of Chinese official statements, white papers, SCO documents, and state media narratives, …

A New City For A New Era: Xiong'an As Showcase Of China's Evolving Urban Ideology, Andrew Stokols

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Cities have long been expressions of political ideology in China and elsewhere. During China’s rapid urbanization over the past few decades, “new areas” became popular strategies to promote urban growth, following the success of Shenzhen, widely regarded as China’s first special economic zone. Today under Xi, Xiong’an New Area has become the latest “new area of national significance.” But unlike previous new areas in China, Xiong’an has become wedded to a distinct vision of the urban in Xi Jinping’s China, one in which the excesses of reform-era urbanization are controlled through new forms of affordable housing and finance, new ecological …

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 …

Parameters Summer 2025, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Summer 2025 issue of Parameters. This issue consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Indo-Pacific Challenges, Russia-Ukraine Issues, and Historical Studies).

China’S Role In A Future Korean War, Jake Rinaldi

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that China’s intervention in a Korean conflict will hinge more on North Korea’s ability to hold territory than on bilateral ties. Rather than treat Chinese intervention as a yes-or-no proposition, this study models three scenarios—full intervention, sustained support, and limited support—based on North Korean resilience. Using Chinese-language sources and scenario-based analysis, it assesses how each model would shape key functional areas such as ISR, cyber, materiel, and force posture. The findings offer US defense planners a framework for anticipating variable People’s Liberation Army involvement in a future Korea contingency.

The Next National Defense Strategy: Mission-Based Force Planning, Frank G. Hoffman

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

The Pentagon needs to embrace a new methodology called mission-based planning to size and shape the defense enterprise properly. This article critiques several proposals for reestablishing the long-standing two major theater war construct in the face of ongoing shifts in the strategic environment, including the nation’s $36 trillion debt and prospects of annual interest payments beyond $1 trillion. It presents a mission priority alternative focused on strategic prioritization based on the authors’ four decades of experience in strategy/force planning at the service, the department, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense levels. Strategic-level service planners and students of Joint …

Technology In International Relations: A Theoretical Perspective On Understanding Us-Chinese Tech War, Ahmed Elbassoussy

Future Journal of Social Science

The massive technological boom that the international scene has witnessed recently has contributed to rearranging the structure of the international system, as the importance of the technological factor in the equation of the relative power of the state has increased. This has led to an increase in the intensity of competition between the major international powers, especially between the United States and China, which has prompted many analysts to restore the concept of the US-China technological war, or what Known as “Cold War 2.0). In this context, this paper seeks to develop a comprehensive framework that combines the theoretical and …

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 …