The Economics of China’s Competitive Strategy

The Economic Elements of China’s Competitive Strategy.

Speaker: Brig Gen (Sel) Rob Spalding (Joint Staff).

Date: June 2016.

Brig Gen (Sel) Rob Spalding is the Chief, China, Mongolia, Taiwan Division, Deputy Directorate for Politico-Military Affairs – Asia, Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. As Division Chief, he directs activities and operations to develop planning guidance for Unified Commanders, prepares Joint Staff/DoD positions on National Security Council matters, and develops informal and formal briefings dealing with major national and international policy matters for use by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Brig Gen (Sel) Spalding received his commission through Fresno State University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1991. He is an Air Force Command Pilot with more than 2,300 hours flight time in two major weapons systems; B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress. His prior tours include Command of the 509th Operations Group where he launched B-2s in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, and Military Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Affairs at the Pentagon. During the Iraq surge in 2007, he deployed and directed the Personal Security Coordination Center, and was responsible for security of the top five leaders in Iraq.

Prior to his current assignment, he was the Air Force Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY. Brig Gen (Sel) Spalding speaks Chinese-Mandarin and Spanish.

EDUCATION

• 1987 Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business, Fresno State University, CA.
• 1993 Master of Science degree in agricultural business, Fresno State University, CA.
• 1998 Marine Corps University Amphibious Warfare Course (Correspondence).
• 1999 Squadron Officer School (Distinguished Graduate), Maxwell AFB, AL.
• 2001 Defense Language Institute Chinese-Mandarin Course (Distinguished Graduate), Monterey, CA.
• 2003 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence).
• 2006 Air War College (Correspondence).
• 2007 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
• 2007 PhD economics and mathematics, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO.
• 2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL.
• 2008 Masters of Science degree in strategic studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.
• 2013 Graduate Certificate, Nuclear Weapons Effects, Policy & Proliferation, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. 03/1992 – 08/1993, Officer in Charge, Strategic Plans, 21st Space Wing, Peterson AFB, CO.
2. 08/1993 – 09/1994, Student Pilot, 87th Flying Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, TX.
3. 11/1994 – 05/1995, B-52 Upgrade Training, 11th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, LA
4. 06/1995 – 05/1998, B-52 Pilot and Aircraft Commander, 23rd Bomb Squadron, Minot AFB, ND.
5. 05/1998 – 05/2001, T-38 and B-2 Pilot, Wing Life Support Officer, Conventional Strike Officer, and Chief of Training, 325th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, MO.
6. 06/2001 – 06/2002, Chinese-Mandarin Student, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA.
7. 07/2002 – 04/2004, Olmsted Scholar, Tongji University, Shanghai, PRC.
8. 04/2004 – 06/2006, B-2 Instructor/Evaluator Pilot and Assistant Director of Operations, 393rd
   Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, MO.
9. 06/2006 – 07/2007, Military Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Affairs Office, Pentagon, Washington, DC.
10. 08/2007 – 01/2008, Director, Personal Security Coordination Center, MNF-I, Baghdad, Iraq.
11. 01/2008 – 06/2008, Deputy Director Strategic Plans and Initiatives Directorate, Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Affairs Office, Pentagon, Washington, DC.
12. 07/2008 – 06/2009, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL.
13. 06/2009 – 06/2010, Chief of Safety, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO.
14. 06/2010 – 03/2011, Deputy Commander, 509th Operations Group, Whiteman AFB, MO.
15. 03/2011 – 04/2012, Commander, 509th Operations Group, Whiteman AFB, MO.
16. 04/2012 – 06/2013, Vice Commander 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO.
17. 07/2013 – 06/2014, Military Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY.
18. 07/2014 – Present, Chief, China, Mongolia, Taiwan Division, Joint Staff, J-5 Pentagon,
    Washington, D.C.

FLIGHT INFORMATION

• Rating: Command Pilot
• Flight hours: More than 2,300
• Aircraft flown: B-2, B-52, T-38 and T-37

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

• Legion of Merit
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
• Joint Service Commendation Medal
• Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
• Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster

PUBLICATIONS

“A Micromovement Model with Bayes Estimation via Filtering: Application to Measuring Trading Noises and Trading Cost (co-author),” Nonlinear Analysis: Theory, Methods and Applications, 2006“Businessmen’s Risk Perception in China following the 1999 Chinese Embassy bombing and the 2001 EP-3 Incident,” doctoral dissertation, Proquest Dissertations, 2007.

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

• Second Lieutenant Oct 16, 1991
• First Lieutenant Oct 16, 1993
• Captain Oct 16, 1995
• Major Aug 1, 2002
• Lieutenant Colonel Mar 1, 2006
• Colonel Aug 1, 2011
• Current as of Dec 2015

 

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