Mark Metcalf, Lecturer in Global Commerce at the McIntire School (UVA), discusses "How the PLA Applies Sunzi’s Art of War to Contemporary Warfare."

This lecture took place at The Institute of World Politics on July 21, 2022.

About the Lecture:

Over the past decade, PLA-affiliated authors and publishers have produced numerous academically-rigorous texts that are used to teach its members about Sunzi and how his teachings should be regarded in the context of modern warfare. Many of the perspectives that are discussed are distinctly Chinese, not apparent to most Western readers, and provide unique insights into the ways that the PLA views modern warfare.

About the Speaker:

Mark Metcalf joins the McIntire School in 2020 as a Lecturer in Global Commerce teaching “Doing Business in China,” a seminar that investigates the historical, political, and sociological roots of business practices and norms in the PRC. Since 2014, he has taught courses in Chinese literature in UVA’s Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, including a semester-long seminar on The Art of War. Prior to UVA, Professor Metcalf spent over 25 years as a contractor working as a Signals Analyst, Systems Engineer, Project Manager (PMP), Technical Translator (Russian and Chinese), and Intelligence Analyst in support of the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies; assignments involved extensive travel to Europe, Asia, and Australia. This was preceded by service as a Naval Officer, during which he was initially assigned aboard a frigate homeported in Japan, where he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. He subsequently transferred to the Naval Security Group and spent the majority of his naval career as a Naval Cryptologist, retiring at the rank of Commander.

Professor Metcalf’s current research is focused on contemporary Chinese military perspectives regarding strategy and ethics. He enjoys translating and analyzing Chinese military texts in order to better understand the PRC military’s approaches to decision making. He is particularly interested in understanding the uniquely Chinese historical and philosophical roots that engender such practices, perspectives that are often misunderstood in the West.

Professor Metcalf has published his research in academic and professional journal articles and book chapters. He has been invited to the U.S. Naval War College to give presentations about topics ranging from the role of technical standardization in Chinese PLA Navy ship construction, to Chinese perspectives on the relevance of The Art of War to modern warfare. Since 2017, he has participated in the annual Regional Security Working Group held at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.

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