Author Archive
Science & Tech
China’s military aims to harness the coming ‘ChatGPT for robotics’
Analogues to large language models for movements and tasks could usher humanoid robots onto the battlefield.
Threats
New products show China’s quest to automate battle
One system tested in a recent PLA exercise automatically dispatches drones, tracks targets, and assigns strikes.
Ideas
To China, DeepSeek is more than an app—it's a strategic turning point
Beijing views the AI tool as a breakthrough that reinforces its strategic autonomy and reshapes the U.S.-China balance of power.
Ideas
The future of China's new information support force
In a bid to dominate the information environment, the PLA created a force to build a resilient network system and drive innovation of cutting-edge tech.
Ideas
China’s plan to rule the heavens
A look at Beijing's strategy to relegate the United States to second place in space.
Ideas
How China is adopting battlefield lessons from Ukraine
A drone-assisted ambush of a Ukrainian tank drew particular notice by PLA analysts.
Ideas
China’s chip chokepoints
The U.S. and its allies have leverage in the competition to build advanced microchips.
Ideas
How Russia, China envision nuking US satellites: from above and below
As the Pentagon builds huge constellations to shrug off conventional ASAT weapons, potential adversaries are taking things to a terrifying new level.
Ideas
What reports got wrong about China’s ‘sunken nuclear submarine’
Western news organizations often miss crucial context—and even the real news—about Chinese military modernization.
Ideas
China claims breakthroughs in autonomous vehicles
If Chinese companies succeed in solidifying their dominance of the autonomous vehicle and LiDAR markets, the security implications are profound.
Ideas
Send private-security contractors into Gaza? That’s a terrible idea
Here are some basic questions to ask before this not-even-half-baked notion becomes a policy failure.
Featured eBooks
Threats
China is turning to private firms for offensive cyber operations
Leaked documents reveal prices, clients, targets, and more.
Ideas
China’s latest aircraft carrier is much more than a big ship
Along with technical and operational advances, the Fujian represents a response to 19th-century humiliation.
Threats
A new breakthrough could deepen US troops' dependence on Chinese batteries
The Qingdao Institute reports a new manufacturing technique that enables cells to charge quicker and age slower.
Threats
'Fast movers': Chinese satellites zoom around for inspections—or interference
In a previously unreported incident, one of China's maneuvering satellites was tracked and approached by a Russian one.
Ideas
Farewell to China’s Strategic Support Force. Let’s meet its replacements
The PLA axes an organization once hailed as evidence of innovation.
Ideas
The AI revolution is already here
The U.S. military must grapple with real dilemmas that until recently seemed hypothetical.
Ideas
China’s nascent railgun is just the tip of its shipboard R&D
Meet the lab working to equip PLAN warships with vast amounts of electrical power.
Science & Tech
China is building its own Starlink—even as questions surround Musk's constellation
A recent rocket launch lofted satellites for a Chinese service to mimic SpaceX, which was slammed this weekend by a top U.S. lawmaker.
Ideas
How China is winning the Middle East
China is working to present itself as a responsible alternative to the U.S. in the Middle East, just as many are questioning Washington’s long-term commitment to the region.
