The Science of Military Strategy

The Science of Military Strategy (SMS; 战略学; Zhanlüe Xue) is one of the main doctrinal publications of the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the study of war. It is compiled and edited by the PLA Academy of Military Science (AMS). Four editions have been published so far – 1987, 2001, 2013 and 2020. The 2013 edition is a joint work of 35 Chinese military scholars led by Major General Shou Xiaosong (寿晓松). The PLA defines the "science of strategy" as "the discipline of studying the overall situation and rules of war, national defense, and army building".

Taylor Fravel explains that while The Science of Military Strategy is not an official policy, strategy or doctrine of China, it is a collective effort by numerous notable military strategists in the PLA Academy of Military Science, therefore it is an important starting point for examining Chinese military strategy. Further, the AMS SMS play a part in the formation of PLA's operational roles. The PLA National Defense University (NDU) also has a publication called The Science of Military Strategy. Editions include – 1999, 2015 and 2017. The NDU editions are notable because they are edited by senior most leadership. Both the academy's and the university's editions are used in graduate courses. Updates of the book lag the publication of new strategic guidelines by many years.