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Jeremy Rausch
Assistant Director
Political and Security Affairs

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The People's Liberation Army (PLA): An Executive Education Course for Analysts and Practitioners

November 2022


The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) was pleased to offer the fourth iteration of its three-day executive education course exploring the history, strategic culture, and increasingly global impact of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on November 2–4, 2022. Participants in this graduate-level course in Washington, D.C., joined a series of interactive seminar-style classes and lunch discussions, as well as a simulation exercise, as part of a curriculum shaped by world-class PLA specialists on one of the world’s most formidable militaries. Session topics ranged from technological modernization, doctrine, and operational concepts to recruitment, education, and the PLA’s five service branches.

BG Brian Davis (Ret.)
Senior Mentor

BG Brian Davis (Ret.), former Director of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s China Strategic Focus Group and former Defense Attaché to China, served as the senior mentor, providing key context and takeaways to participants throughout the course.

The course’s varied curriculum, interactive format, and condensed schedule are tailored to meet the needs of military and civilian practitioners, industry leaders, and research professionals working on China-related security issues, allowing participants to develop a unique skillset to apply to everyday work in government and industry alike.

Session List (November 2022)
PLA History and Strategic Culture David Finkelstein, CNA Corporation
Civil-Military Relations Phillip Saunders, U.S. National Defense University
Recruitment, Training, and Education Morgan Clemens, Exovera
Strategy, Doctrine, and Operational Concepts Alison Kaufman, CNA Corporation
Organization and Reform Joel Wuthnow, Georgetown University
The PLA’s Air, Ground, and Naval Services Roderick Lee, China Aerospace Studies Institute
The PLA Strategic Support Force Joe McReynolds, Peraton Labs
The PLA Rocket Force David Logan, U.S. Naval War College
Modernization, Technology, and Civil-Military Fusion Lorand Laskai
The U.S. Factor in PLA Strategy Kristen Gunness, RAND Corporation