Over the last few weeks Iran has amplified its threats that, if attacked, it would immediately close the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint nestled between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf (Al-Siyasa [Kuwait], July 7). Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Mohammad Ali... MORE

“Sharpening Sword 2008,” the code name for the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) month-long multi-service and multi-arm joint training counter-strike military exercise, is underway at the Zhurihe Joint Tactical Training Base under the Beijing Military Area Command in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Particular to this year’s... MORE

The Assistant Chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), Chen Xiaogong, was in Ulaanbaatar on a four-day visit to attend the third Sino-Mongolian Defense Security Consultation on August 27. Chen's elevation to the position of Assistant Chief of the General Staff,... MORE

According to Taiwan’s Presidential Office Spokesperson Wang Yu-chi, the Ma Ying-jeou administration has decided that it will not develop missiles that have a range longer than 1,000 kilometers (580 miles), namely it will not develop "offensive weapon capabilities" that can strike Shanghai (China Times, September... MORE

Chinese soldiers were spotted patrolling the streets of Mutare, Zimbabwe. The total number of PLA soldiers in Mutare is unconfirmed, but eyewitness accounts place 10 Chinese soldiers in full military regalia equipped with pistols with 70 Zimbabwean soldiers checking into a hotel (Zimbabwejournalists.com, April 15).... MORE

The fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War had a profound impact not only on how security and intelligence professionals viewed the world of espionage but also on the motivations of the players and the targets of their espionage activities.... MORE

In spite of thawing cross-Strait ties, both militaries on each side of the Taiwan Strait remain on high alert. According to multiple Chinese news sources that cite an article first published in Taiwan-based newspaper China Times, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has reportedly upgraded its... MORE

Recent improvements in cross-Strait relations, highlighted by the agreement to begin regular weekend cross-Strait charter flights and permit for 3,000 Chinese tourists per day to visit Taiwan, may suggest to some that there is no pressing need for Taiwan to approve further increases in defense... MORE

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chen Chao-min is reportedly considering plans to cut the Republic of China (Taiwan) military force to about 200,000 to 250,000 in a six year time span, which will require reducing around 6,000 troops each consecutive year (NOWnews [Taiwan], July 1). The plan... MORE

Sun Tzu’s admonition “Know the enemy and know yourself” is a fundamental tenet of Chinese military strategy [1]. The books On Military Campaigns and The Science of Military Strategy include it as the first of 10 principles of war [2]. Moreover, Military Strategy reverses the... MORE