Guest Contribution for the Council on Foreign Relations
The China Landpower Studies Center at the U.S. Army War College produces research and analysis of China's strategic landpower for U.S. policymakers and military leaders.
For many casual observers, the U.S. Army has little to say in how a future war in the Indo-Pacific will play out, especially regarding China. The image most have is blue: blue skies and blue water—a job for the navy the air force. China’s main objective—retaking Taiwan—would seem to back this up, necessitating some sort of amphibious assault that could end up on the beaches but initially involve obtaining some sort of air and sea superiority.
While all of this is true, it neglects the key role that landpower plays in the region and, crucially, in the mentality of China’s armed forces. Although China has been funneling resources into naval and air forces, at heart it remains a power fixated on land as indicated in the name of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Background image of Chinese President Xi Jinping walking past members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, by Florence Lo, from REUTERS, via the blog post on CFR.org (https://www.cfr.org/blog/studying-landpower-indo-pacific)