Ep 221: Joel Wuthnow and Phillip Saunders on China’s PLA

School of War · Aug 12, 2025 · 54m

Joel Wuthnow and Phillip Saunders, both of the U.S. National Defense University and authors of China's Quest for Military Supremacy, join the show to discuss the origins, organization, and strategic outlook of China’s military.

▪️

Times

• 01:22 Introduction

• 01:57 Origins

• 06:58 Crisis control

• 08:48 PLA structure

• 13:05 1960

• 20:17 Horizontal escalation

• 24:34 By land or sea

• 28:23 American resolve

• 30:54 Xi

• 36:41 A lack of experience

• 44:10 Military diplomacy

• 48:17 Reading list

• 50:43 Be unpredictable

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube…