Jeffrey Engstrom

China Has Big Plans to Win the Next War It Fights

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) views modern conflict as a confrontation between opposing systems. This systems-thinking has wide ranging implications for how the PLA conceptualizes warfare in the twenty-first century.

Enhancing China's Status as a Great Power

China is investing heavily in its military modernization program as it aims to extend its power in the region as well as globally. How will China's growing ability to project power affect U.S. regional goals?

China's Military Reorganization Aims to Tighten Party Control and Strengthen the PLA's Warfighting Capabilities

Xi Jinping's reforms could result in a leaner, more combat-effective PLA that presents a more potent challenge to China's neighbors and to U.S. interests. But even successful reforms will not guarantee victory on the battlefield, and any hypothetical conflict involving the U.S. would carry tremendous risks.

China's Incomplete Military Transformation

Although the People's Liberation Army has made impressive progress over the past 20 years, it still suffers from a number of potentially serious problems. Understanding its weaknesses — particularly what PLA officers themselves see as the most important shortcomings — is just as critical as studying its strengths.

Report

Creating Selective Overmatch: An Approach to Developing Cyberspace Options to Sustain U.S. Primacy Against Revisionist Powers

The authors apply the concept of selective overmatch to reevaluate current U.S. cyber operations in light of competition and possible conflict with China and show how this framework can provide a roadmap for U.S. Cyber Command’s future operations.

Report

Gaining Victory in Systems Warfare: China's Perspective on the U.S.-China Military Balance

The authors provide a detailed analysis of the factors and components associated with People's Republic of China leaders' assessments of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's strength and the implications for the U.S.-China military balance.

Report

Systems Confrontation and System Destruction Warfare: How the Chinese People's Liberation Army Seeks to Wage Modern Warfare

This report reflects an attempt to understand current thinking in the Chinese People's Liberation Army regarding system of systems and systems warfare, as well as current methods of warfighting.

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Smarter Power, Stronger Partners, Volume II: Trends in Force Projection Against Potential Adversaries

This book describes scenarios to test whether the anti-access and area-denial threat to U.S. force projection is growing more severe. They describe plausible U.S. and adversary military actions given current operational capabilities and approaches.

Research Brief

Chinese Attacks on U.S. Air Bases in Asia: An Assessment of Relative Capabilities, 1996–2017

Discussion about China's military modernization has included little comparative analysis of Chinese and U.S. military capabilities. This brief focuses on improvements to China's ability to disrupt or degrade U.S. operations by attacking air bases.

Research Brief

Chinese Threats to U.S. Surface Ships: An Assessment of Relative Capabilities, 1996–2017

Discussion about China's military modernization has included little comparative analysis of Chinese and U.S. military capabilities. This brief focuses on improvements to China's ability to target U.S. surface ships, especially aircraft carriers.

Research Brief

Tallying the U.S.-China Military Scorecard: Relative Capabilities and the Evolving Balance of Power, 1996–2017

Discussion about China's military modernization has focused on new weapon systems, with little comparative analysis of Chinese and U.S. military forces and development. This brief summarizes a RAND Project AIR FORCE study that seeks to fill this gap.

Research Brief

U.S. and Chinese Air Superiority Capabilities: An Assessment of Relative Advantage, 1996–2017

Discussion about China's military modernization has included little comparative analysis of Chinese and U.S. military capabilities. This brief focuses on improvements to China's ability to contest U.S. air superiority in an Asian conflict.

Report

The U.S.-China Military Scorecard: Forces, Geography, and the Evolving Balance of Power, 1996–2017

A RAND study analyzed trends in the development of Chinese and U.S. military capabilities in two scenarios (centered on Taiwan and the Spratly Islands) and multiple types of operations from 1996 to 2017.

Report

China's Incomplete Military Transformation: Assessing the Weaknesses of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)

The PLA is keenly aware of its many weaknesses and is vigorously striving to correct them. Although it is only natural to focus on the PLA's growing capabilities, understanding the PLA's weaknesses -- and its self-assessments -- is no less important.

Report

Measuring Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP) Performance: Capacities, Capabilities, and Sustainability Enablers for Biorisk Management and Biosurveillance

This report describes a project to develop a comprehensive evaluation framework for the Cooperative Biological Engagement Program and recommends metrics for assessing and communicating progress toward the program's goals.

Report

Workforce Planning in the Intelligence Community: A Retrospective

This report chronicles intelligence community efforts over more than half a decade to improve community-wide workforce planning and management. The tools described will help decisionmakers maintain workforce capabilities as budgets decline.

Report

Lessons from Department of Defense Disaster Relief Efforts in the Asia-Pacific Region

This study analyzes recent humanitarian assistance/disaster response operations in Burma, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Japan, and identifies lessons that can be used to improve the Department of Defense's international disaster relief capabilities.

Journal Article

Taking Disaster Seriously: East Asian Military Involvement in International Disaster Relief Operations and the Implications for Force Projection

The participation of East Asian militaries (Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea) in international disaster relief is a relatively new phenomenon having many implications that will shape the global landscape of the 21st century.

Report

Assessing the U.S. Air Force Unified Engagement Building Partnerships Seminars

Using RAND’s security cooperation framework, RAND assessed the U.S. Air Force’s Building Partnerships Seminars to enhance program objectives and improve cooperation amongst partner-nation air forces.

Report

Assessing the Effectiveness of the International Counterproliferation Program

Addressing the threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction requires interagency and international cooperation. This report demonstrates how one assessment framework can be applied to security cooperation programs.