RAND Report Claims China’s Military Is Unprepared For War

China is not ready for war, according to a controversial report from U.S. think tank RAND Corporation, which argues that the Chinese Communist Party’s primary motivation for military modernization is maintaining internal power rather than preparing for external conflict, CNN’s Brad Lendon reported.

RAND report suggests political constraints could hinder the PLA’s effectiveness in combat. I Photo: U.S. Department of Defence

While Beijing’s military expansion under Xi Jinping has made the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) a formidable force—potentially rivaling or surpassing the U.S. military in some areas—the RAND report suggests political constraints could hinder the PLA’s effectiveness in combat.

Some experts dismissed the report’s conclusions. “There are much easier, cheaper, lower-risk ways to maximize party security than the bespoke warfighting capabilities Xi concertedly pursues,” said Andrew Erickson of the U.S. Naval War College.

Former U.S. intelligence officer John Culver also cast doubt on the findings. “War isn’t Plan A, but it is Plan B if events require it,” he wrote on X. “And the PLA’s capacity for such an event is only getting stronger.”