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China Maritime Studies Institute

China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) enables scholars to perform academic research from Chinese-language sources to develop deeper insight into key aspects of China’s maritime development, capabilities and trends. CMSI publishes research to inform the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, advise U.S. civilian and military leaders and educate the joint force’s next generation of warfighters.

Director, China Maritime Studies Institute

(401) 856-6010

China Maritime Studies Institute Lines of Effort

CMSI works for the Center for Naval Warfare Studies, as a research team supporting the Strategic Operational Research Department. CMSI allows the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to better understand China’s approach to building and using maritime power in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. CMSI’s research lines of effort are as follows:

  • Conduct research in scholarly primary source, Chinese-language literature.
  • Write and publish books, monographs, and articles on Chinese maritime developments, prioritizing content that is valuable to the fleet.
  • Advise current naval, joint, and civilian national security decision-makers, including the Chief of Naval Operations, fleet commanders, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Intelligence Council, the National Security Council, and Congress.
  • Educate future naval, joint, and civilian national security decision-makers through participation in the U.S. Naval War College core and electives curriculum, research groups, lectures of opportunity, and faculty development.
  • Engage with U.S. allies and partners through collaboration with both the wider academic and professional communities.

China Maritime Studies Red Books

China Maritime Studies Number 17: The Maritime Fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific: Indonesia and Malaysia Respond to China’s Creeping Expansion in the South China Sea

The China Maritime Studies Redbooks are extended research projects that the editor, the Dean of the Center of Naval Warfare Studies, and the President of the Naval War College consider of particular interest to policy makers, scholars, and analysts.

View All Issues Current Red Book

CMSI China Maritime Reports

China Maritime Reports are short papers exploring topics of current interest, published at the direction of the CMSI Director.

View All Issues Current China Maritime Report

China Maritime Studies Institute Conferences

These conferences serve to stimulate focused research and foster dialogue among topic experts resulting in enhanced understanding and continued productive research and analysis on focus areas. Although short in duration, CMSI conference research will provide in-depth analysis and create further dialogue on China’s maritime developments, capture key insights, while informing the U.S. Navy and joint force through the volume publication process.

See China Maritime Studies Institute Faculty

Our experienced and renowned faculty have years of earned expertise across a wide range of naval, professional, and academic focus areas. To learn more, please use the link below to access the online directory.

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CMSI Faculty Publications

For a full listing of current publications written by CMSI faculty, please see button below.

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Featured Faculty

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Ryan D Martinson Profile Image

Ryan D. Martinson

Assistant Professor | Strategic and Operational Research Department

Ryan D. Martinson is a core member of the China Maritime Studies Institute. He researches China's maritime strategy, especially its coercive use of sea power in East Asia.

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Andrew Erickson photo

Andrew Erickson

Professor | Strategic and Operational Research Department

Dr. Andrew S. Erickson (艾立信) is a professor of strategy and the research director in the Naval War College (NWC)’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). A core founding member, he helped establish CMSI and stand it up officially in 2006, and has played an integral role in its development. CMSI inspired the creation of other research centers, which he has advised and supported; he is a China Aerospace Studies Institute associate. Since 2008 he has been an associate in research at Harvard’s Fairbank Center. Erickson has taught courses at NWC and Yonsei University, advises NWC student research and curricula, and supports NWC’s scholarly research relationship with Japanese counterparts.

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