Recent Publications

China Maritime Report No. 32: The PCH191 Modular Long-Range Rocket Launcher: Reshaping the PLA Army's Role in a Cross-Strait Campaign
November 15, 2023 — With its fielding of the PCH191 multiple rocket launcher (MRL) and its variety of long-range precision munitions, the PLA Army (PLAA) has become arguably the most important contributor of campaign and tactical firepower during a joint island landing campaign against Taiwan. No longer simply the primary source of amphibious and air assault forces,... MORE

"China Maritime Report No. 32: The PCH191 Modular Long-Range Rocket Lau" by Joshua Arostegui (usnwc.edu)

PRC Engagement in The Bahamas
August 2, 2023 — R. Evan Ellis Introduction In his March 2023 annual posture statement to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, head of U.S. Northern Command General Glen VanHerck referred to the substantial commercial and other presence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Bahamas as “efforts to gain a foothold only 50 miles from the U.S. East... MORE

PRC Engagement in The Bahamas
R. Evan Ellis
China, South & Latin America, SSI Worldwide

China’s Future Military Capabilities
May 22, 2023 — The 2022 National Defense Strategy of the United States of America identifies China as the “pacing challenge” for the US military. This podcast examines the process by which China’s military capabilities are developed, the capabilities China’s military is seeking to acquire in the future, and the resulting implications for the US military. To date, all the extant studies have merely described the capabilities the People’s Liberation Army is currently acquiring... MORE

PLA Logistics and Sustainment | PLA Conference 2022
January 20, 2023 — This volume of conference papers was presented at the US Army War College People’s Liberation Army Conference held March 31 to April 2, 2022, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The conference examined the sustainment and logistics capabilities of China’s military and assessed its ability to support large-scale operations.The US Army War College... MORE

PLA Logistics and Sustainment (PLA) Conference 2022
US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press

Enabling a More Externally Focused and Operational PLA – 2020 PLA Conference Papers
July 27, 2022 — Although the People’s Liberation Army is not yet a global expeditionary force on par with the US military, the former has nevertheless significantly expanded its ability to operate abroad. Through enhanced technological capabilities, robust relationships with foreign militaries, increased access to overseas military bases and dual-use facilities,... MORE

Enabling a More Externally Focused and Operational PLA – 2020 PLA Conference Papers
US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press

The People of the PLA 2.0
July 23, 2021 — The 27th annual People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Conference—“The People in the PLA” 2.0—revisited a theme first explored at the 2006 conference but understudied since. This volume examines how the structure, education, training, and recruitment of PLA personnel have changed in the last decade and in the Xi Jinping era.Structural changes in the PLA... MORE

The People of the PLA 2.0 by Roy Kamphausen
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/944/

“Disintegrating the Enemy - The PLA’s Info-Messaging”
September 8, 2020 — The DoD can exploit weaknesses in Chinese military attempts at political warfare, or “enemy disintegration,” most recently observed in PLA media on the subject of the pandemic. Targeted information efforts will signal the United States’ refusal to be intimidated, expose untruths in Chinese government messaging to its citizens, and reassure relevant... MORE

Parameters VOL. 46 NO. 4 WINTER 2016-17
December 1, 2016 — Editor: Dr Antulio J Echevarria IISpecial Commentary: The Army's Identity Crisis by Gates Brown. Toward Strategic Solvency Ensuring Effective Military Voice, by William E. Rapp. The Crisis of American Military Primacy and the Search for Strategic Solvency, by Hal Brands and Eric Edelman. Are Our Strategic Models Flawed? Faith in War: The American... MORE

Cover for Parameters VOL. 46 NO. 4 WINTER 2016-17

Taking the Fight to the Enemy: Chinese Thinking about Long-Distance and Expeditionary Operations
July 1, 2016 — Author: Dr Larry M WortzelAccording to many analysts of China’s military, when an officer of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) suggests new forms of operations, expanded domains of warfare, or new weapons systems, American security planners can dismiss these projections as merely “aspirational” thinking. This assessment of the PLA Academy... MORE

Cover of Taking the Fight to the Enemy: Chinese Thinking about Long-Distance and Expeditionary Operations

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 2025
July 28, 2015 — Editors: Mr Roy Kamphausen, Dr David LaiView the Executive SummaryThis volume is of special relevance in light of the profound changes occurring within the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). China’s desire to develop a military commensurate with its diverse interests is both legitimate and understandable. The challenge for U.S. Pacific Command... MORE

Colloquium Brief: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 2025
August 27, 2014 — Mr. R. Lincoln Hines Key Insights. Domestic, external, and technological drivers of China's military modernization are examined. Three plausible scenarios for the modernization of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) that result from these drivers are explored. Implications of these futures for regional dynamics, the international system,... MORE

Assessing the People’s Liberation Army in the Hu Jintao Era
April 1, 2014 — Authors: Mr Roy Kamphausen, Dr David Lai, Mr Travis Tanner View the Executive SummaryThe 2012 PLA (People’s Liberation Army) conference took place at a time when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was making its leadership transition from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping. The conference discussion focused on the developments in China’s national security and... MORE

Cover for Assessing the People's Liberation Army in the Hu Jintao Era