In late 2015, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiated a series of ongoing reforms that have brought dramatic changes to its structure, model of warfighting, and organizational culture. Undoubtedly, among the most important changes has been the creation of a unified Strategic Support Force (SSF)…
On September 3, 2015, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary and Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Xi Jinping announced a reduction in the overall size of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from 2.3 million personnel to 2 million, a reduction of about 11 percent of…
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is currently undergoing a series of organizational reforms unprecedented in its 90-year history. Beginning in September 2015, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary and Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Xi Jinping announced a force reduction of 300,000 PLA personnel, kicking…
In December 2015, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) formally launched reforms that have been described as the “most wide-ranging and ambitious restructuring since 1949.” Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Xi Jinping announced his intention to pursue these changes by calling them the “only way to…
Since it was announced in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has served as China’s premier economic and foreign policy program. As billions of dollars in Chinese investment have poured into road, port, and railroad infrastructure projects across Eurasia and Africa, China has concurrently…
CIRA head Dr. James Mulvenon spoke to the Hidden Forces podcast regarding Chinese commercial espionage, and particularly recent allegations of malfeasance against Huawei. To listen to the full podcast episode, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyVezezAhOw
CIRA head Dr. James Mulvenon testified before Congress on multiple non-traditional facets of Chinese espionage. Topics discussed by the Congressional panel included concerns over China’s 2025 industrial and technology strategy, criminal cases against Chinese employees accused of espionage, and the effectiveness of inter-departmental information sharing….
On October 25, 2018, the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) released CIRA’s commissioned report entitled “China’s Internet of Things.” The Internet of Things (IoT) — the interconnection of physical and virtual things via information and communication technologies — is being applied to…
CIRA head Dr. James Mulvenon spoke at the 2018 Cybersecurity Summit on offense and defense in cyberspace and the threats U.S. critical infrastructure face from Russia and China. To view the full presentation, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK-GB-kCDU8
CIRA China analyst Joe McReynolds and former CIRA analyst John Costello have produced a landmark monograph on the structure and inner workings of the PLA’s Strategic Support Force for National Defense University: In late 2015, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiated a series of ongoing…