Dr. Erickson is an Associate Professor in the Strategic Research Department at the U.S. Naval War College and a founding member of the department’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). He is an Associate in Research at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, a Fellow in the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations’ Public Intellectuals Program, and a member of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). Erickson previously worked for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) as a Chinese translator and technical analyst. He has also worked at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, the U.S. Senate, and the White House. Proficient in Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, he has traveled extensively in Asia. Erickson received his Ph.D. and M.A. in international relations and comparative politics from Princeton and graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a B.A. in history and political science. His research, which focuses on East Asian defense, foreign policy, and technology issues, has been published widely in such journals as Journal of Strategic Studies, Orbis, Joint Force Quarterly, and Proceedings. Erickson is coeditor of, and a contributor to, the Naval Institute Press book series, “Studies in Chinese Maritime Development,” comprising China Goes to Sea (2009), China’s Energy Strategy (2008), and China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force (2007); as well as the Naval War College Newport Paper China’s Nuclear Force Modernization.
Specialties
- China’s military and foreign policy
- Japan/East Asia security and international relations
- Maritime and aerospace technology development
- Energy and geostrategy
- Military basing and power projection