Ground force officers run China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). About 70 percent of PLA soldiers serve in the PLA Army (PLAA), and ground officers occupy almost all senior positions on the Central Military Commission (CMC) and in China’s new theater commands. The PLA’s…
CIRA head Dr. James Mulvenon spoke at the MIT Center for International Studies’ annual Starr Forum on the topic of “Confronting the China Cyber Challenge.” Dr. Mulvenon’s presentation centered on Chinese technology standards mandates and their impact on device security. To view the full presentation,…
The PROJECT CAMERASHY report, a joint project of CIRA and the cybersecurity firm ThreatConnect, definitively attributes cyber espionage activity associated with the Naikon Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group to a specific unit (Unit 78020) within the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). For nearly five years,…
Following on his previous piece examining the various strategic and other motivations behind China’s desire for an increased military presence west of Singapore and laying out China’s basic purpose in building up a military presence and supporting bases along the Maritime Silk Road, this continuation…
The past decade has seen a considerable amount of speculation concerning China’s military intentions in the Indian Ocean (and overseas generally), revolving in large part around the “String of Pearls” concept (namely, a possible network of future Chinese naval and military installations stretching across the…
This paper by CIRA’s Jonathan Ray examines why China developed an enhanced radiation weapon (ERW) but did not deploy it. ERWs, better known as “neutron bombs,” are specialized nuclear weapons with reduced blast effects and enhanced radiation, making them ideal tactical and antipersonnel weapons. Declassified…
In a chapter of the compilation book Assessing the People’s Liberation Army in the Hu Jintao Era, CIRA China analysts Joe McReynolds and James Mulvenon examine Chinese military informatization under Hu Jintao, with an emphasis on the integration of military and civilian informatization efforts as…
On March 22, 2014, the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) published a commissioned CIRA report on China’s cloud computing industry. In recent years, the Chinese government has prioritized the development of cloud computing technology with the twin goals of expanding Chinese military…
On October 1, 2009, the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) released CIRA’s commissioned report entitled “China’s Defense Industry on the Path of Reform.” China’s defense industry underwent a dramatic transformation over the first decade of the 21st century. Fundamental reforms in central…
