Friends of CASI,
Yet another busy quarter to start off the year. CASI remains actively engaged across the full spectrum of our Charter- Research, Warfighter Support, Education, and Engagement. Let us know how CASI can support your mission.
Personnel:
Things are steady for the moment on the personnel front. When the hiring freeze ends, we will be looking for a Director of Education (GS-14) at Maxwell AFB, and a China Research Analyst (GS-12) position here in D.C. So, keep your ears open when the time comes if you, or someone you know, would be interested in either of those.
CASI’s Fundamentals of the PLA Course:
We continue to have great interest in, and turn out for, our three-day PLA Fundamentals Course. This quarter we held a well-attended Mobile Education Team (MET) course at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and an in-house course at National Defense University.
The next NDU in-house PLA Fundamentals course will be 19-21 May, 2025. If you are interested in attending, please sign up at: https://tinyurl.com/CASI-PLA-Fundamentals
If you are interested in hosting a Mobile Education Team (MET) version of the PLA Fundamentals course, let us know and we will do our best to find open space on the calendar to support your organization. Please be aware that due to high demand, we are currently booked out through FY 2025, so we are already looking at late 2025 and early 2026 dates for our next availability. The PLA Fundamentals course is free to attend (TDY costs only if traveling to NDU or TDY costs for the three CASI SMEs traveling to your location for the MET version) and open to all DoD and U.S. government employees, Allies, as well as civilian contractors working for the DoD. There is no security clearance requirement.
China Centers- And check out what great work the other China Centers are doing:
China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI)
China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC)
Recent Publications
- PLA Views on the Information Domain
- Chapter in Cross Currents: The New Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean
- 2024 Military Academic Institution Recruitment Plan
- 2025 PLA Pilot Recruitment Cycle
- China's Air Defense Radar Industrial Base
- Senior PLA Leader Military Diplomacy
CASI is pleased to offer hard copies of CASI full reports for free. Please see our website at: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/CASI-Publications/
for the full list and for the order form. Please note- most of the articles and short reports are available in PDF only.
Support to the Warfighter
- Guest lectured at the U.S. Naval Academy
- Participated in two panel discussions at Defense Security Cooperation University
- Supported Arnold Engineering Development Complex project
- Participated in a panel discussion at Space Force Delta 13
- Participated in a discussion at 2025 SPACECOM Legal Conference
- Half of CASI participated in Power 2025
- Participated in a panel discussion at Army Senior Leader Development Seminar
- Participated in workshop for J7
- Guest lecturer at Air Advisor Development Week, Travis AFB, CA
- Guest lecturer at 659ISRG Senior Leader Summit
- Participated in multi-day CSAF SSG Trilateral event with Royal Air Force and French Air and Space Forces
- Guest lecturer at Air University Reserve Training Assembly
- Guest lecturer at the 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott AFB, IL
- Participated in multi-day CSAF SSG Trilateral event with JASDF and RAAF
- Guest lecturer at 82nd Training Wing and 363rd Training Squadron
- Guest lecturer at USAFE/AF-Africa JA Leadership Conference
- Featured speaker for Joint Staff South (J7/JSR) J7R SOCOM event
- Hosted INDOPACOM China Strategic Focus Group event at NDU
- Supported RAND project for SECAF
- Featured speaker for AFSOC Senior Leaders Seminar
- Participated in, and featured speaker at, multi-day NATO competition event
- Assisted Travis AFB on questions regarding China’s quantum ambitions
- Assisted Intelligence Analyst- AFINC Mission Support SMS Data Products Group, INC.
Education
- Conducted a MET of CASI’s PLA Fundamentals to Wright-Patterson AFB
- Presented multiple briefs to ISR 200 course
- Provided China brief to Foundations 500 course
- Hosted CASI’s PLA Fundamentals course at CASI’s NDU offices
- Presented multiple briefs to Professional Financial Management Course
- Presented multiple briefs to Squadron Officer School
- Briefed First Sergeant Academy
- Featured speaker at Combined Forces Air Component Commander course
- Briefed ISR 300 course
- Presented multiple briefs to SNCO Academy
- Presented multiple briefs to Wing Command Team Course
- Provided China brief to Foundations 700 course
- Presented multiple briefs to Officer Training School
- Briefed Defense Financial Management Course
- Provided multiple guest lectures at Vosler NCO Academy, Peterson SFB
- Featured speaker at Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course
- Guest lectured the Dynamics of Great Power Competition seminar at Air War College
- Guest lecturer at the DIRMOBFOR Course, Hurlburt Field, FL
- Participated in DAF Ph.D COP event on How China Became a Great Power
- Featured speaker for Air Component Commander Senior Leaders Course
- Featured speaker at Operational Executive Skills course
- Featured speaker for Marine Corps University China Scholars program
- Taught at Foreign Service Institute
- Completed course “AI and National Security”
- Spoke on panel at National Defense University's College of Information and Cyberspace for the JPME II course “International Challenges in Cyberspace”
Engagement and Outreach
In addition to providing support to the Department of the Air Force staff, CASI has had another busy quarter supporting the USAF and the DoD, as well as our allies, partners, and friends. CASI:
- In a significant step, CASI began a fellowship at the Japanese Air and Space Studies Institute (JASI). This is the first time someone from outside of Japan has conducted a fellowship there. Among other things, this included attending JASI’s annual symposium, delivering multiple presentations to the JASDF, facilitating a visit to JASI by the U.S. Air Attaché to Japan, and will soon produce a research report for JASI’s publication. CASI is excited to build on our strong relationship with our JASDF allies, which goes all the way back to CASI’s inaugural conference, where General Uchikura (now Chief of Staff of the JASDF, then Air Defense Command commander) was CASI’s first Keynote speaker.
- Participated in China Strategic Choices Workshop for DOD at CSBA
- Met with members from the Congressional Budget & Appropriations committee
- Continued participation in CSAF SSG Future of Airpower series of events
- Participated in multiple Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress deterrence events
- Participated in discussion on Shifts in China’s Rare Earths Policy
- Participated in Understanding and Countering China's Maritime Gray Zone Operations event
- Participated in USAF LEAP month-long program in Taiwan
- Various meetings with AUKUS Cognitive Warfare Working Group
- Consulted Useful Fiction on a fictional PLA memo written in 2028 assessing the successful performance of MARSOC forces during the 2028 PLA invasion of Taiwan, Operation Emerald Sword
- Research referenced in “The Rest is a Classified Podcast” episode titled “How China Spies: Trump, TikTok, and Taiwan”
- Met with Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG) Director
- Cited in Asia Times “Questioning China’s Ability to Actually Fight”
- Joined NATO Irregular Warfare Working Group
- Met with Finnish Defence Research Agency
- Attended the book launch event for “The Hand Behind Unmanned: Origins of the US Autonomous Military Arsenal”
Keep in contact with us:
CASI website www.airuniversity.af.mil/CASI/
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/CASI_Research
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CASI.Research.Org
Link with us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/china-aerospace-studies-institute
As always, please feel free to send this update, or our website/ contact information, to anyone you feel might be interested in CASI or our research. Let us know if you have any thoughts, requests for support, or ideas for future papers and projects.