Issues in National Security 2026 Lecture 1:
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Description

This lecture examines an apparent paradox in Xi Jinping’s military modernization: even as unprecedented purges remove senior officers and defense-industry leaders, China’s military—and particularly its navy—continues to expand and improve at a formidable pace.

Using a “forest and trees” metaphor, the presentation argues that analysts risk mistaking extraordinary personnel turbulence for institutional paralysis. While leadership removals expose persistent corruption and political dysfunction, China retains deep reservoirs of personnel, industrial capacity, technology, infrastructure, and state-directed resources. The PLA continues to field increasingly sophisticated capabilities, improve training realism and joint integration, expand production capacity, and sustain a growing operational tempo. These trends are particularly significant in the maritime domain and around Taiwan, where increasingly complex exercises rehearse coercion, blockade, precision-strike, and invasion-related capabilities.

The lecture assesses China’s military trajectory through measurable outputs and operational behavior rather than leadership turnover alone. Its central conclusion is that corruption and repeated removals represent important vulnerabilities, but should not be assumed to derail China’s military buildup.

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Episode Length

1:23:36

File Size

60.8 MB

File Format

MP3

Publication Date

10-9-2026

Publisher

China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College

City

Newport, Rhode Island

Keywords

China Maritime Studies Institute, CMSI, China, Modernization, Personnel, Leadership, Corruption

Issues in National Security 2026 Lecture 1:

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