Recent Publications

China Maritime Report #55: Loading the Well Deck: The PLA Navy's Maturing Role in Projecting Joint Ground Forces
June 24, 2026 — 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... MORE

China Maritime Report #55: Loading the Well Deck: The PLA Navy's Maturing Role in Projecting Joint Ground Forces by Joshua Arostegui

Systems Over Steel: How China is Redefining Amphibious Armor Survivability
June 22, 2026 — The contemporary discourse on drone-driven warfare rarely suggests the end of maneuver, but it highlights an increasingly perilous gap between tactical movement and force survivability in a hypertransparent environment. Against this backdrop, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s sustained commitment to amphibious armor invites examination of how a high-end force intends to bridge that gap in the contested littoral space... MORE

Systems Over Steel: How China is Redefining Amphibious Armor Survivability by Joshua Arostegui, published by the Modern War Institute at West Point

Between Beijing and the Budget: The Domestic Realities of Taiwan’s Defense Spending Drama
June 2, 2026 — Taiwan's legislature spent six months blocking a major defense budget, then passed a scaled-down version days before the Trump-Xi summit. Jessica C. Liao and Kyle Marcrum argue why the story the US media tells is flawed... MORE

Slide for Between Beijing and the Budget: The Domestic Realities of Taiwan’s Defense Spending Drama, by Jessica C. Liao and Kyle Marcrum

“An Enviable Position in the Pacific”: An interview with General Xavier Brunson
May 22, 2026 — Guest host Tom Spahr and General Xavier Brunson, commander of United Nations Command, ROK-US Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea (UNC/CFC/USFK), discuss Korea, the Indo-Pacific, and mission command... MORE

CLSC Dialogues podcast episode 29: "An Enviable Position in the Pacific," an interview with GEN Xavier Brunson

Decoding China’s 15th Five-Year Plan
May 15, 2026 — China’s latest Five-Year Plan signals that it has become more pessimistic about the global environment, seeing it as uncertain and unstable. However, the Chinese Communist Party sees opportunity in that instability to promote the Community of Common Destiny, their new model of global governance. The Five-Year Plan also signals that the Chinese will continue to use the United Nations to advance this new global governance system... MORE

Slide for Decoding China’s 15th Five-Year Plan by COL Kyle Marcrum, published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute

Parameters | Summer 2026
May 14, 2026 — Welcome to the Summer 2026 issue of Parameters, which consists of two In Focus special commentaries, three forums (Indo-Pacific, Strategy, and Historical Studies) and the Strategic Competition Corner... MORE

Web graphic for the summer 2026 issue of Parameters

On the Pacific, USARPAC, and China
April 28, 2026 — In this episode, COL Mike Long and LTG Joel B. Vowell discuss the US Army Pacific and the role of USARPAC... MORE

CLSC Dialogues podcast: On the Pacific, USARPAC, and China, COL Mike Long and LTG Joel B. Vowell

Book Review: The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II
April 15, 2026 — In this gripping narrative, Stephen R. Platt uncovers the forgotten legacy of a rebellious Marine whose daring vision helped shape the future of US Special Forces. Blending biography with battlefield drama, the book reveals how unconventional tactics and bold leadership redefined America’s approach to warfare. A must-read for anyone interested in the origins of elite military units and the individuals who defied tradition to forge them... MORE

Cover of The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II by Stephen R. Platt

The 2026 National Defense Strategy
March 17, 2026 — Military strategists Dr. Frank G. Hoffman (retired) and Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria II analyze the 2026 National Defense Strategy... MORE

Decisive Point episode: The 2026 National Defense Strategy

Parameters | Spring 2026
March 6, 2026 — Welcome to the Spring 2026 issue of Parameters, which consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Clausewitz and Modern Warfare, Operational Considerations, and Historical Studies), and the Strategic Competition Corner... MORE

If China Attacks Taiwan: Beijing Risks Social Instability in a Conflict
February 4, 2026 — A conversation between Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Dr. Jake Rinaldi, and Bonnie Glaser on the risk of domestic social instability for Beijing if China attacked Taiwan. A podcast from The German Marshall Fund of the United States... MORE

slide for China Global Podcast:
If China Attacks Taiwan: Beijing Risks Social Instability in a Conflict

SSI Live 119 – On Venezuela
January 30, 2026 — This episode discusses Latin American reactions to the recent US operation in Venezuela, noting that some governments expressed criticism but with notable restraint due to domestic political and economic considerations. Dr. R. Evan Ellis explains that the operation exposed the ineffectiveness of Russian and Chinese air defense systems in Venezuela, which may influence future military procurement and perceptions of US capabilities in the region. The conversation also explores how China, Russia, Iran, and other extra hemispheric actors may recalibrate their engagement in Latin America in response to renewed U.S. focus and pressure... MORE

Slide for SSI Live Podcast – Ep 119 – On Venezuela