The School of Defense and Strategic Studies (DSS) is proud to announce Dr. James Anderson has won second prize in the United States Naval Institute’s 2024 General Essay contest.

His essay “The Next Taiwan Crisis Will (Almost) Certainly Involve Nuclear Threats,” argues that China growing nuclear capabilities may embolden Beijing to take more aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific, especially with respect to Taiwan.

As a result, the United States, especially its Navy, must be prepared for this threat.

“The military threat China poses to Taiwan is growing. China’s nuclear arsenal is also expanding dramatically,” Anderson said. “So, I wanted to investigate the relationship between these two trendlines.”

Anderson was pleased to be recognized for his work.

“The Naval Institute’s General Essay contest dates to 1878 and receives a great many entries every year,” Anderson said. “I was honored and humbled to receive this award.”

Anderson’s current research interests focus on China and Great Power Competition.

Paper explores China’s nuclear threat

In his essay, Anderson argues that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would create a major crisis between China and the United States. “Such a crisis almost certainly would include implicit or explicit Chinese nuclear threats, despite Beijing’s longstanding no-first-use (NFU) policy.”

Anderson believes the U.S. Navy can play a key role in limiting China’s threat.

“The United States can diminish the potential for China to leverage nuclear threats during a Taiwan crisis, but only if it moves with alacrity to strengthen conventional and nuclear deterrence,” he argues.

It is vital to understand China’s motivation in using nuclear weapons, according to Anderson. “Beijing may well issue nuclear threats in an effort to intimidate Taipei and dissuade the United States from assisting Taiwan in the event China tries to invade the island,” he writes.

New book provides scholarly insights on U.S.-China relations

Anderson also recently co-edited a book, along with Dr. Daniel R. Green, on U.S. policy toward the People’s Republic of China.

In “Confronting China: US Defense Policy in an Era of Great Power Competition,” eleven senior national security practitioners address the ongoing challenge of Chinese aggression.

“My co-editor and I recruited many of our former colleagues from the first Trump Administration to contribute chapters to our volume,” Anderson said. “The book provides a wide range of practical recommendations designed to confront China’s expansionist aims and growing military capabilities.”

The book will be issued in paperback in 2026.

Professional background shapes teaching method

Anderson has taught in DSS since the fall of 2022. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

In addition to his academic background in defense and security issues, Anderson has extensive experience in government. He served as a senior official in the former Department of Defense during the first Trump Administration.

“I bring that experience to bear selectively in the classroom,” he said. “For example, I like to use small group exercises to challenge my students to think through hard security problems under tight time constraints. This technique encourages them to apply security concepts in very practical ways.”

“I love teaching at DSS,” Anderson continued. “The program is first-rate in every respect. The students are intelligent, serious and eager to learn. The opportunity to help educate the next generation of national security leaders inspires me every day.”

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