Event Details

WHAT: "Once We Were Allies: The US Effort in the China-Burma-India Theater in WWII" by Dr. David Finkelstein (online)



WHEN: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM Beijing Time



MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, and commemorations are being held around the world. However, the US military effort in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater is receiving scant attention, relegating it to the status of a "twice forgotten theater." In this photo-rich presentation, retired US Army Officer and historian David Finkelstein focuses on the US military in the CBI theater, at the operational and tactical levels of the war: in arid Assam, in the sub-zero temperatures flying over the "Hump", in the steaming jungles of Burma, and in lush southwestern and central China. It is the narrative of American and Chinese ground forces working together to regroup, retrain and re-equip to take back Burma (today's Myanmar) from the Imperial Japanese Army. It is the story of the US Army Air Corps executing the world's first sustained strategic airlift, creating bomber bases in Sichuan Province to attack Japan, and executing precision supply drops to American commandos deep in Burma's jungles. It recalls the over 3,000 combat advisers embedded in Chinese operational units; US Army doctors and nurses who provided medical support; and tens of thousands of Chinese forces trained and equipped in India before returning home to defend their homeland. Most of all, it is a narrative of Americans and Chineseโ€”military and civilianโ€”working together to keep China in the fight.


MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: David M. Finkelstein is a life-long student of defense and security developments in Asia. Currently he is the director for Asian security affairs at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia. Formerly a career US Army officer holding various command and staff positions in field units, he has more than four decades of experience in the military, academia, and the international think tank scene. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, received a PhD in Chinese and Japanese history from Princeton University, and studied Mandarin at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. He has served as Director for Asian Analyses on the Joint Staff and on the faculty at West Point teaching Chinese history, Japanese history, and the history of warfare in Asia. The Secretary of the Navy recently honored him with the Distinguished Public Service Award. Dr. Finkelstein is a member of the National Committee for US-China Relations.



HOW MUCH: This event is free for RASBJ members, RMB 50 for members of RAS branches in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and RMB 100 for non-members. Interested in becoming a member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership/​



HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I will Attend" before July 21 and follow the instructions. If you encounter difficulties paying via WeChat Pay, you may wish to use Alipay or an international credit card instead. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

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REFUND POLICY: If the event is cancelled by RASBJ, all paying registrants will be refunded in full.

Speakers

  • David Finkelstein (Speaker)

    David Finkelstein

    Speaker

    David Finkelstein is a life-long student of defense and security developments in Asia. He brings over four decades of experience from a diverse set of vantage points—the military, academia, and the international think tank scene. Both in and out of government, his career has been driven by providing senior leaders with the analyses necessary to make informed decisions. It has been his honor to render analytic support and advice directly to the highest-serving US government officials, including a President of the United States, cabinet secretaries, high-level military leaders, members of Congress, as well as private sector corporate boards and leaders.
    Finkelstein is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, received a PhD in Chinese and Japanese history from Princeton University, and studied Mandarin at Nankai University in Tianjin, China.
    Formerly a career US Army officer, he is a graduate of the Command & General Staff College, US Army War College, the JFK Center for Military Assistance and Unconventional Warfare, and the US Army Airborne School. On active duty he held various command and staff positions in field units including the Joint Security Force in Panmunjom, Korea—an infantry battalion in the Demilitarized Zone. Among others, his multiple China and Asia-related positions included serving as Director for Asian Analyses on the Joint Staff and on the faculty at West Point teaching Chinese history, Japanese history, and the history of warfare in Asia. The Secretary of the Navy recently honored him with the Distinguished Public Service Award.
    Currently the director for Asian security affairs at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia, Dr. Finkelstein is a member of the National Committee for US-China Relations, served as a consultant and contributing author to the National Geographic Atlas of China, and is on the editorial board of Parameters, the US Army's senior service journal. His extensive publications include a historical monograph, multiple co-edited volumes on Chinese affairs, as well as peer-reviewed journal articles. His historical study, Washington’s Taiwan Dilemma, 1949-1950: From Abandonment to Salvation, was hailed in Presidential Studies Quarterly for its analysis of the Truman administration’s approach to the island in the early days of the Cold War.

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