National Interest – James Holmes writes that the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army are unquestionably guilty of self-defeating behavior. But American military planners should not push their positive assessment too far.

Naval News – China’s incredible naval expansion and modernization continues. The latest surprise is yet another new and unexplained submarine. The boat, whose designation is unknown, has a distinctive ultra-modern layout.

CIMSEC – On September 27, 2024, news broke that a previously unreported new type of Chinese nuclear-powered submarine, dubbed the “Type 041,” had suffered a major mishap at its fitting out pier at the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan, according to unnamed Pentagon sources. Submarine expert Thomas Shugart had previously spotted an unknown submarine with a distinct x-shaped stern at Wuchang Shipyard from satellite imagery taken on 26 April 2024, and days later reported unusual crane activity at the same pier location from June 2024 imagery, speculating that the new boat suffered a serious incident. Even more intriguing and consequential than the question of whether a submarine incident of some sort actually did occur at Wuchang or not, is however another issue: What type of “nuclear-powered submarine” could this new design possibly be?

Naval News – The Type 054B is a completely new design from the keel up. Nevertheless the frigate appears to share some key characteristics with the preceding Type 054A FFG.

ASPI – Bill Sweetman says Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group’s J-36 scooped up most of the publicity around China’s late-December revelations, but a second combat type, one from Shenyang Aircraft and referred to for now as J-XX, was revealed at the same time.

Defense News – Chinese scientists have been researching ways to cut undersea cables since at least the late 2000s, according to a recent report in the U.S. magazine Newsweek. Reporters at Newsweek uncovered two patent applications Chinese researchers filed for towed undersea cable-cutting devices and associated methods to inflict such damage.

The War Zone – An image has appeared showing a Chinese commercial roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ferry linked to a temporary pier via a barge with jack-up supports. 

Breaking Defense – As South Korea’s political structure totters in the wake of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal, China is said to have built a large structure in a disputed areaof the Yellow Sea.

Naval News – China is building at least five new special purpose barges which appear tailor made for amphibious assault. The barges may provide the PRC (People’s Republic of China) with a unique way to offload large numbers of tanks directly onto Taiwanese roads.

Naval News – New submarines appear, while auxiliary fleet receives important additions. Meanwhile Chinese naval shipbuilding reveals some curious new designs.

CIMSEC – This review discusses the content and implications of Toshi Yoshihara’s book, Mao’s Army Goes to Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China’s Navy, starting with the author’s background and followed by chapter breakdowns. This review also evaluates the implications of Yoshihara’s research, considering how the historical circumstances behind the creation of the People’s Liberation Army/Navy (hereafter PLA Navy, or PLAN) informs its present-day actions vis-à-vis Taiwan.

The Strategist – Bill Sweetman says the speed, agility, range and stealth of an individual aircraft type are still important, but they’re no longer the whole story of air combat. Advances in sensing, processing and communications are changing military operations. The Chengdu J-36, the big Chinese combat aircraft that first appeared on 26 December, has been developed to exploit these changes and support China’s strategic goal: to establish regional dominance, including the ability to annex Taiwan by force.

Naval News – Chinese carrier force underwent significant developments over the past year. Meanwhile production of frigates and destroyers was augmented by robust Coast Guard-deliveries.

1945 – It’s that time again, when end-of-the-year advancements roll out in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). On 26 December, just in time for Mao’s birthday in China and Boxing Day elsewhere, footage of two “tailless” developmental “stealth” aircraft debuted within hours.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute – Bill Sweetman on the most spectacular debutant, making its maiden flight on December 26 was from Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group: a stealth combat aircraft that various anonymous commenters on the Chinese internet identify as the J-36. It is the largest combat aircraft designed and developed in China, and the second-largest to fly anywhere in 35 years.

The War Zone – A homegrown airborne early warning and control jet based on the Y-20 cargo aircraft is a big enhancement for China’s current fleet dominated by turboprops.

Naval News – Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua today, December 27, conducted a launch ceremony for the innovative new Type 076 amphibious carrier, at its facilities on Changxing Island in Shanghai. The event marks a major milestone in a project drawing significant international attention. According to officials statements the new ship will receive the hull number 51 and the name “Sichuan”, after the eponymous province in southwestern China.

Royal Aeronautical Society – On Boxing Day 26 December 2024, pictures and video emerged of a new Chinese stealth aircraft, featuring a unique configuration of three engines, diamond planform and no tail. Veteran aviation journalist and stealth expert BILL SWEETMAN assesses what we know so far. 

The Diplomat – While maritime militia forces are not playing a major role in China’s multi-pronged pressure campaign against Taiwan, they are not completely absent from the battlespace.

China Maritime Studies Institute – The construction of the Type 052C guided missile destroyer took a long time, and it was experimental in the sense of “taking small steps for rapid progress” (xiao bu kuai pao). In fact, it was also the engineering prototype of the standard fleet destroyer Type 052D. The first and second Type 052C ships were launched in April and October 2003, respectively. They were the most advanced guided missile destroyers of the PLAN at that time, but the subsequent four ships of the same type were launched in October 2010, July 2011, and January and July 2012, respectively.

1945 – This week, the Department of Defense released its twenty-fourth annual China Military Power Report (CMPR). Here are the most important revelations from its 182 pages that informed professionals need to know.

War on the Rocks – China’s military is both corrupt and increasingly capable. Yesterday, the Pentagon released its 24th China Military Power Report since Congress initiated its mandate in 2000, offering revelations unavailable elsewhere. The document reveals new details of the most dramatic military buildup since World War II, ongoing challenges that Chairman Xi Jinping and his party army are addressing with determination, and context to interpret what it all means. The bottom line: endemic corruption and lingering personnel and organizational weaknesses must be weighed against the Chinese Communist Party’s unrivaled ability to marshal resources and its ongoing production and deployment of advanced military systems on an unmatched industrial scale. Xi commands a system riven by brutal elite power struggles, but he is determined to pursue control over Taiwan with an increasingly potent toolkit. With deadly seriousness, he continues to advance sweeping organizational reforms to maximize relevant warfighting capabilities in fulfillment of his Centennial Military Building Goal of 2027, even at the cost of short-term churn and challenges.

The War Zone – China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has expanded its global reach and moved more regularly and in greater mass beyond its regional waters in the past year as it continues to roll out warships and logistics support vessels that provide the force with greater range. That’s one finding from the unclassified version of an annual Pentagon’s report to Congress on China’s military that was released Wednesday.

The Diplomat – Part two of a two-part series detailing China’s amphibious warfare and the implications for Taiwan.

The Diplomat – Part one of a two-part series detailing China’s amphibious warfare and the implications for Taiwan.