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Big news — the good folks from @CASI_Research have posted a complete and downloadable translation of an important Chinese military text, the 2013 edition of the Science of Military Strategy (战略学). h/t @CollinSLKoh 1/
The translation can be downloaded here: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/In-Their-Own-Words/Article-Display/Article/2485204/plas-science-of-military-strategy-2013/ 2/
The 2013 edition was compiled by members of the Department of Military Strategy at the PLA's Academic of Military Science. AMS is directly under the Central Military Commission, the CCP body that oversees China's armed forces. 3/
AMS previously published editions of this book in 1987 and 2001. Likewise, the PLA's National Defense University has published editions in 1999, 2015, and 2017. 4/
The Science of Military Strategy does not, in fact, contain China's military strategy (see the military strategic guidelines (军事战略方针)). Nevertheless, these books provide insight into how the PLA thinks about strategy and the strategic challenges it faces. 5/
Warning: these book contains a lot of CCP and PLA jargon—it is not a quick or easy read. 6/
A few years ago, I wrote a book chapter for @McReynoldsJoe ( https://www.brookings.edu/book/chinas-evolving-military-strategy/) comparing the 2001 and 2013 editions of the AMS editions of the Science of Strategy.
For a preprint of my chapter, see https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2774761 7/
For a preprint of my chapter, see https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2774761 7/
For a history of the PRC's military strategy since 1949, check out:
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691152134/active-defense 8/
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691152134/active-defense 8/
Inquiring minds want to know—will AMS release a new edition of this book in the next year or two? 9/
Finally, the folks at @CASI_Research have also provided a translation of the 2006 Science of Campaign (战役学), which describes how the PLA planned at the time to conduct different types of military campaigns.
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/In-Their-Own-Words/Article-Display/Article/2421219/plas-science-of-campaigns/ 10/
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/In-Their-Own-Words/Article-Display/Article/2421219/plas-science-of-campaigns/ 10/
Per my testimony a few weeks ago for @USCC_GOV, these translates are great examples of the power of open source and making important Chinese language materials available to a wide audience. Much—much—more of this is needed. END/
