Dr. Christopher Yung serves as the Director of East Asian Studies for MCU, and lectures across the schools within MCU (the Marine Corps War College®, the Command and Staff College, the School of Advanced Warfighting, and the Expeditionary Warfare School) on topics related to China and East Asian Security. He conducts research on such topics as Chinese expeditionary warfare capabilities and doctrine, China’s emerging foreign and defense policy, and China’s emerging maritime capabilities and strategies (subjects of relevance to the U.S. Marine Corps).
He is a former Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director at the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs (CSCMA), Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University. In that capacity Dr. Yung provided insights and counsel for the Office of Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Intelligence Community, and the Combatant Commanders concerning Asian defense and strategic issues.
Dr. Yung has been the author, editor and contributor to numerous books, articles and monographs on China’s naval and military power. Prior to his entering into government service, Dr. Yung was a Senior Research Analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA). While at CNA, Dr. Yung led projects or was involved in analyses related to China, East Asian security, the Chinese Navy, the Chinese military, and U.S. interoperability with the militaries of the Far East. In addition to Dr. Yung’s Asia related work he has direct operations analysis experience with the U.S. Navy operating forces (Amphibious Group Two, 1998-2001), a Marine Corps Component Command (U.S. Marine Corps Forces Atlantic, 2001-2005), and Pentagon staffs (the Navy Staff’s Assessment Division (N81, 2008-2009) and Politico-Military Affairs Division (N52, 1997-1998).
Dr. Yung holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Johns Hopkins University. He also holds an M.A. in East Asian Studies from the same institution. He received language certificates in Mandarin Chinese from Columbia University and the Beijing Foreign Language Teachers Institute.
Selected Publications
“China’s ‘Subtle’ and ‘Not So Subtle’ Political Warfare Against Taiwan”, Global Taiwan Brief, Vol. 2, Issue 30, August 2017
“A ‘Pivot’ of Their Own: China Reassesses the Rebalance to Asia Policy and What That Means for the Trump Administration’s Asia Policy”, Marine Corps University Journal 8, no. 1 (Spring 2017), 39-61.
Co-authored with Brown, Gary. “Evaluating the US-China Cybersecurity Agreement, Part 1: The US Approach to Cyberspace”, The Diplomat, January 19, 2017.
Co-authored with Brown, Gary. “Evaluating the US-China Cybersecurity Agreement, Part 2: China’s Take on Cyberspace and Cybersecurity”, The Diplomat, January 19, 2017.
Co-authored with Brown, Gary. “Evaluating the US-China Cybersecurity Agreement, Part 3: Over a Year Later, What Impact has the 2015 Agreement Had on US-China Relations?” The Diplomat, January 21, 2017.
Co-authored with Wang, Dong. “The US and China Can Get Along in the South China Sea”, War on the Rocks, July 6, 2016.
Co-authored with Wang, Dong. “US-China Relations in the Maritime Security Domain”, Tanner, Wang and Ma, eds., US-China Relations in Strategic Domains, National Bureau of Asian Research Report, April 2016.
“The PLA Navy Lobby and Its Influence Over China’s Maritime Sovereignty Policies”, in Saunders and Scobell, eds., PLA Influence On China’s National Security Policymaking, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, 2015.
“China’s Navy Lobby and Its Impact on PRC Maritime Sovereignty Policies”, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies, September 11, 2015.
Co-authored with McNulty, Patrick. “An Empirical Analysis of Claimant Tactics in the South China Sea”, Strategic Forum, No. 289, National Defense University Press, August 2015.
Co-authored with McNulty, Patrick. “Claimant Tactics in the South China Sea: By the Numbers”, Asia Pacific Bulletin, No. 314, East-West Center, June 2015.
“Chinese Overseas Basing Requirements for the Twenty First Century” in Dutton and Martinson, eds., Beyond the Wall: Chinese Far Seas Operations, China Maritime Studies, No. 13, Naval War College Press, Newport, RI, May 2015.
“Not as Dire as It Seems”, book review of Asia’s Cauldron by Robert Kaplan in Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, March 18, 2015.
“China, War, and Logistics in the Indian Ocean” in War on the Rocks, March 3, 2015.
“Continuity and Change in Sino-US Military-to-Military Relations” in Blanchard and Shen, eds., Conflict and Cooperation in Sino-US Relations: Change and Continuity, Causes and Cures, Routledge Press, New York, NY, February 2015.
Co-authored with McNulty, Patrick. “China’s Tailored Coercion and Its Rivals’ Actions and Responses: What the Numbers Tell Us”, Center for New American Security Report, Washington, DC, January 26, 2015.
“Burying China’s ‘String of Pearls’: The ‘String of Pearls’ Model Has Long Outlived its Usefulness as a Strategic Concept”, The Diplomat, January 22, 2015.
Co-authored with Ross Rustici. "Not An Idea We Have to Shun: Chinese Overseas Basing Requirements for the Twenty First Century,"China Strategic Perspectives No. 7, National Defense University Press, October 2014.
Review of Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings by Craig Symonds, Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 140, Issue 6, June 2014.