The US Air Force is defunding all civilian positions at the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), triggering conflicting statements over whether the service’s primary open-source Chinese military research center will close.
Established in 2017 at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, CASI translates primary-source documents and publishes open-source research on Chinese air, space, cyber, and missile assets.
Washington decided to implement the directive starting in October as part of a broader workforce restructuring under the military’s Air Education and Training Command.
While an air force spokesperson stated that CASI is not closing and will continue its mission by “leveraging assigned military service members,” institute leadership warned that eliminating civilian analysts effectively ends the organization.
“Once all of the civilians eventually depart, CASI will close,” CASI Director Brendan Mulvaney stated, adding that the dismissed staff conduct primary research activities at the think tank.
Remaining Work Until 2027
CASI plans to honor its existing publishing and training commitments through at least March 2027 while affected personnel enter floating status as they seek new roles within the US Department of Defense.
Consequently, it has canceled its 10th anniversary event planned for February 2027.
Defense officials confirmed that similar research units operated by the US Navy and US Army will remain fully staffed and operational.
Former military officials and defense experts criticized the decision, calling the loss of unclassified analysis on the People’s Liberation Army a “very bad move” for sustaining America’s deterrence capabilities.
Cracking Down on Foreign Research Risks
The CASI mandate follows the Pentagon’s order last August, pushing 30 domestic universities to audit their respective ties with approximately 130 organizations in China, Russia, Iran, and other high-risk foreign entities.
That separate effort aims to alleviate unsanctioned technology transfer, intellectual property transfer, and exploitation of taxpayer-funded research.
Institutions that received the guidance include the country’s leading academic institutions, including Harvard University, MIT, and Johns Hopkins University.
