"Chinese Maritime (Militia) Strategy" by CWP alum Andrew Erickson
Is Chinese maritime strategy part of universal strategic thought, or a distinct intellectual tradition incompatible with Western concepts? The answer depends on how specifically one frames the question. This analysis examines Chinese and foreign cases at a level of specificity sufficient to understand China’s sea forces—useful for scholars, strategists, and practitioners alike. Understanding China’s maritime strategy requires examining its three sea forces: the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the China Coast Guard (CCG) under the People’s Armed Police, and the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM). Each is a component of China’s Armed Forces and the world’s largest force of its kind by ship numbers, exhibiting distinctive “Chinese characteristics” within a universal framework allowing unified scholarly inquiry. The PLAN is least distinctive; the PAFMM is most distinctive. This raises a critical question: within the People’s Republic of China’s historical context, do the PAFMM and other maritime activities represent an extant application of Maoist strategy, or have they evolved distinctively? Most pointedly, does China’s Maritime Militia practice “People’s War at Sea” today? While authoritative Chinese sources suggest this and many Western observers accept it as conventional wisdom, the reality is far more complicated. My conclusion: China’s sea forces and their informing strategy have become progressively less distinctive over time, and these trends continue today.
Chinese Maritime (Militia) Strategy: Increasingly More Exceptional Than Unique - ByAndrew S. Erickson - BookSmashing the Sun Tzu Myth
Dr. Andrew S. Erickson (艾立信) is Professor of Strategy (tenured full professor) in NWC’s China Maritime Studies Institute. A core founding member, he helped establish CMSI and stand it up officially in 2006 and has played an integral role in its development; from 2021–23 he served as Research Director. CMSI inspired the creation of other Department of Defense research centers, which he has advised and supported; he is a China Aerospace Studies Institute Associate. Erickson has taught courses at NWC and Yonsei University, advises NWC student research and curricula, and supports NWC’s scholarly research relations with Japanese counterparts. He provides flag officer tailored education for NWC, both on and off campus; including in Honolulu, Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Naples.
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