Recent Publications

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

China Maritime Report #53: Filling the Ranks: China's Military Recruiting System and the PLA Navy
May 6, 2026 — This report outlines People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) recruiting processes within the overarching context of China’s military personnel accession systems. Within China, most recruitment, mobilization, and service assignment of military personnel is managed through a centralized national military service system, with individual services retaining some recruitment authorities for officers, sergeants, and civilians. It is not possible to effectively discuss Navy recruitment without understanding this overarching system. ... MORE

Slide for China Maritime Report #53: Filling the Ranks: China's Military Recruiting System and the PLA Navy by Erin Richter and Joshua Arostegui

2026 Carlisle Conference on the PLA: The PLA’s Capability to React to Crises
April 16, 2026 — The US Army War College (USAWC) Strategic Studies Institute’s (SSI) held its annual Carlisle Conference on the PLA on March 25 and 26, 2026, in the Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC) successfully hosted the event for the second time, bringing together more than 100 war fighters, policymakers, and China-focused experts to analyze and debate the PRC’s capabilities to react to regional and strategic-level crises. Participants from the US Department of War and Intelligence Community joined professionals from academia, think tanks, private industry, and other US government organizations to listen and respond to a series of expert panels and discuss panelist findings and other topics of interest in impactful breakout discussions... MORE

The New Reserve Personnel ID Card: How the PLA is Streamlining Mobilization and Improving the Status of Military Reservists in Chinese Society
March 16, 2026 — Joshua Arostegui... MORE

Slide for CLSC Quick Take, The New Reserve Personnel ID Card: How the PLA is Streamlining Mobilization and Improving the Status of Military Reservists in Chinese Society

PLA Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Close Air Support Are Still Under Development
February 4, 2026 — Dennis J. Blasko... MORE

Slide for PLA Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Close Air Support Are Still Under Development by Dennis J. Blasko

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

PLA Navy Marine Corps Tank Companies Emphasize Expeditionary Capabilities
January 27, 2026 — Joaquin Camarena... MORE

Slide for PLA Navy Marine Corps Tank Companies Emphasize Expeditionary Capabilities by Joaquin Camarena

Theory Meets Practice: The PLA National Defense University Revives the Operational Instructor Program
January 27, 2026 — Dennis J. Blasko... MORE

Slide for Theory Meets Practice: The PLA National Defense University Revives the Operational Instructor Program by Dennis J. Blasko

If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of "Minor Conflict" and "Major War" Scenarios
January 6, 2026 — Introduction by Bonnie S. Glaser: Research on the possibility and likely outcome of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait has expanded rapidly in recent years. Studies have focused on a broad range of questions related to deterrence, potential conflict dynamics, and possible conflict outcomes. Tabletop exercises have been used to identify gaps in the... MORE

GMF: If China Attacks Taiwan article screenshot for CLSC

China’s Foreign Police Training: A Global Footprint
November 13, 2025 — New data reveal how China’s foreign police training programs have become an integral part of Beijing’s strategy to remake global security... MORE

Forecasting the PRC’s Next Global Initiative
November 7, 2025 — Executive Summary: • Xi Jinping could unveil a “global environmental initiative” as soon as mid-November 2025, at the COP31 summit in Brazil. This would align with previous initiatives that have been announced at international forums. • This new initiative would complete a set of five that matches the five strands in the initial rubric of the “Community of Common Destiny” concept, Beijing’s framework for a new approach to global governance. • The PRC will likely leverage a global environmental initiative and its significant economic advantages in green energy to expand international acceptance of their alternative global governance model... MORE

The PLA’s Progress toward World-Class Ground Force Capabilities
October 27, 2025 — This essay examines Xi Jinping’s dictum of creating a world-class military by 2049 and assesses the progress of the PLA ground forces toward achieving that notional benchmark... MORE