PLA doctrinal writing has long talked about graphite bombs but there has rarely been public disclosure on any sort of development - would be interesting to keep an eye on .

Please join me today at 12:30 Paris/18:30 ET to discuss China's long-arm jurisdiction and how it affects Taiwan's prospects for survival.

I talked to Wapo about the recent China student VISA ban and what lessons the case of Qian Xuesen, "the father of Chinese ICBM," can impart.

Chatted a bit with the Telegraph on what readiness means in manifesting military power.

Since when has Eurasia Group becomes a think tank?

3/ “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” Kundera reminded us how power can suppress memory to erase identity and control narratives - and today we are faced yet another authoritarian power wearing the red stars doing the same.

2/ The SVG fighting against Imperial Japanese forces was also painted in ROCAF livery, an inconvenient fact that Xi is trying to erase by repainting the SVG I-15 exhibit within the Beijing Aviation museum from ROC markings to communist stars.

1/ Xi made it clear to the Russians his No.1 priority is Taiwan, that Russia and China fought 80 years ago against Fascists - but the Soviet Volunteer Group (SVG) was fighting alongside the Republic of China (now Taiwan) armed forces, and Beijing is trying to erase that.

How does your misrepresentation match up perfectly with PRC propaganda?

Ppl kept forgetting (or just flat out doesn’t care or understand) that not defining PRC as a hostile force is the original sin that has hampered countless counterintel efforts against PRC. Peter makes a great point here.

All too often these days that seemed to be the problem in this town. .

@MichaelHunzeker 9/ Taiwan desperately need it’s “Pentagon papers” moment so that promising junior and mid-career officers can leverage public sentiments and civilian influence and expertise to effect changes to Taiwan’s military.

@MichaelHunzeker 8/ a civilian establishment with access can then force a change in the military’s culture; that mid-career officers who is well-educated, flexible, hard-working and innovative can survive through the ranks and overturn the existing adverse selection issues in the flag ranks.

@MichaelHunzeker 7/ The top-line issue for Taiwan’s military reform should be a detailed requirement on disclosure and classification, so that the structure of supervision, from civilian authorities, academics, experts, and even military fans, can be armed with the necessary information.

@MichaelHunzeker 6/This suits the military just fine, as long as military leadership superficially “kowtow” to the legislative and executive branches on symptoms of deeper issues, the military bureaucracy can continue on without much hindrance.

@MichaelHunzeker 5/ Additionally, most administrations believe it’s not only possible but desirable to firewall defense and “military” issues behind the door of the Ministry of Defense.

4/But one does not simply reform by placing blame on the defense establishment – of which Taiwan as a society has been doing for decades at this point. Taiwan’s civilian authorities largely don't understand, and do not care about defebse issues, despite paying lip service.

3/we can trace the issue as early as 1937 in German advisors’ report to CKS; which still applies to Taiwan’s military today. Thus despite occasional operational and tactical brilliance, the ROC military is largely incapable of achieving any strategic directives given by the gov.

2/They’ve accurately diagnosed the well-known but rarely uttered issue that Taiwan military’s officer corps and whampoo culture is at the core of all malaise from personnel shortage, public distrust of the military, to operational failures.

1/ Ahead of tomorrow’s GMU chat on Taiwan’s defense issues, I wanted to highlight this article by @MichaelHunzeker and Yuster Yu on the root cause of Taiwan’s rather ineffective military, and share a few of my thoughts.