The People's Liberation Army Looks to the Future PDF Download

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Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Book Description
Western analysts have long known that Beijing is modernizing its armed forces; indeed, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing a transformation. Through innovation in doctrine, organization, and technology -- the fundamental ingredients of a so-called revolution in military affairs (RMA) -- China is pursuing a capability to allow "the inferior to defeat the superior" with an eye fixed on the year 2030. This is an ambitious effort to undertake but by no means unachievable. With the possible exception of the United States, China has analyzed the implications of RMA more than any other nation. Although the impact of modern weaponry was predicted by the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, the wake-up call for the People's Liberation Army came with the Persian Gulf War. Stunned by the near dominance of American systems, which bested Soviet and Chinese equipment in the air and on the ground, the Chinese scrambled to understand what had happened. In fact, Chinese analysts have been investigating high-tech warfare since the early 1980s as the Falklands, Becca Valley, and air strikes on Libya stimulated their interest. But their efforts did not gain support from the central government until more recently. China relearned the lessons of Desert Storm in the Taiwan Strait during 1996 when its forces did not perform well in bad weather, and U.S. naval forces operated at considerably longer distances with greater real-time data and effective military power. With the realization that they lagged at least a generation behind technologically, Beijing redoubled its efforts. Then, in 1999, NATO launched air strikes against Serbia, which once more demonstrated the gap between China and the West. American technology motivates Chinese research. This article reviews the PLA's technological priorities, emerging capabilities, and current and future concepts of war. (4 photographs).

Author: Michael S. Chase
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833088319
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Through extensive primary source analysis and independent analysis, this report seeks to answer a number of important questions regarding the state of China’s armed forces. The authors found that the PLA is keenly aware of its many weaknesses and is vigorously striving to correct them. Although it is only natural to focus on the PLA’s growing capabilities, understanding the PLA’s weaknesses—and its self-assessments—is no less important.

Author: Andrew Scobell
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 9781365073724
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
How will China use its increasing military capabilities in the future? China faces a complicated security environment with a wide range of internal and external threats. Rapidly expanding international interests are creating demands for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to conduct new missions ranging from protecting Chinese shipping from Somali pirates to evacuating citizens from Libya. The most recent Chinese defense white paper states that the armed forces must "make serious preparations to cope with the most complex and difficult scenarios . . . so as to ensure proper responses . . . at any time and under any circumstances." Based on a conference co-sponsored by Taiwan's Council of Advanced Policy Studies, RAND, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and National Defense University, The People's Liberation Army and Contingency Planning in China brings together leading experts from the United States and Taiwan to examine how the PLA prepares for a range of domestic, border, and maritime...

Author: James R. Lilley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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This text looks at the future orientation of the People's Liberation Army. It covers military leadership, readiness and expenditure, defense doctrine, high-tech warfare acquisitions, the scientific and technological base for defense procurement and China's security concerns in Northeast Asia.

Author: Michael S. Chase
Publisher: Rand Corporation
ISBN: 0833088300
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
This report examines many of the weaknesses in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) human capital and organization realms, its combat capabilities across various domains, and China's defense research and industrial complex. Furthermore, the report analyzes how these weaknesses affect the PLA's performance of missions tasked by Beijing. China's military isn't ready to win wars despite spending heavily to modernize. The People's Liberation Army suffers from 'potentially serious weaknesses' that could limit its ability to conduct the operations required to fight and win future conflicts. "Although the PLA's capabilities have increased dramatically, its remaining weaknesses increase the risk of failure to successfully perform the missions the Chinese Communist Party leaders may task it to perform," the report says. It cited Taiwan contingencies, maritime claim missions, protecting sea lines of communications and some non-war military operations. The report looks at two critical shortcomings: institutional and combat capabilities. On institutional issues, the PLA faces shortcomings regarding outdated command structures, quality of personnel, professionalism and corruption. Combat weaknesses include logistical, insufficient strategic airlift capabilities, limited numbers of special-mission aircraft, and deficiencies in fleet air defense and anti-submarine warfare.

Author: Roy Kamphausen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781688630949
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
This volume is of special relevance in light of the profound changes occurring within the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). China's desire to develop a military commensurate with its diverse interests is both legitimate and understandable. The challenge for U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) is to understand how China will employ this growing military capability in support of its interests. The book addresses the uncertainty surrounding the potential direction of the PLA by examining three distinct focus areas: domestic, external, and technological drivers of PLA modernization; alternative futures for the PLA; and, implications for the region, world, and U.S.-China relations. The analysis provides an insightful perspective into the factors shaping and propelling the PLA's modernization, its potential future orientation ranging from internally focused to globally focused, and how the PLA's choices may impact China's relations with its neighbors and the world.

Author: Strategic Studies Institute U.S. Army War College Press
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781984058416
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
I'm pleased to introduce The Chinese People's Liberation Army of 2025 which is the 2014 edition of an ongoing series on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) co-published by the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI), the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), and the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM). This volume builds on previous volumes and identifies potential trajectories for PLA force modernization and mission focus, and how these potential changes could impact external actors. This volume is of special relevance today in light of the profound changes occurring within the PLA. I have spent a considerable amount of my professional career in the Western Pacific and, during that time, I've seen first-hand the rapid expansion of the size and capability of the PLA as it pursues a long-term, comprehensive military modernization program in support of China's more assertive regional strategy. China's desire to develop a military commensurate with its diverse interests and economic power is both legitimate and understandable. However, China's coercive approach to security is problematic and of increasing concern to the region. The challenge for USPACOM, and the reason why this volume is timely and important, is to understand how China will employ this growing military capability in support of its interests. The scholarship presented in this edition addresses the uncertainty surrounding the potential direction of the PLA by examining three distinct focus areas: Domestic, External, and Technological Drivers of PLA Modernization; Alternative Futures for the PLA; and Implications for the Region, World, and U.S.-China Relations. The analysis provides an insightful perspective into the factors shaping and propelling the PLA's modernization, its potential future orientation ranging from internally-focused to globally-focused, and how the PLA's choices may impact China's relations with its neighbors and the world. NBR and SSI have, once again, provided an outstanding contribution to the growing body of research and analysis on the PLA. The Chinese People's Liberation Army of 2025 is a timely and important volume that will increase our understanding of the PLA at a time in history that requires a well-informed approach to the expanding role of China. HARRY B. HARRIS, JR. Admiral, USN Commander, U.S. Pacific Command

Author: U. S. Military
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781549757518
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
This volume builds on previous volumes and identifies potential trajectories for PLA force modernization and mission focus, and how these potential changes could impact external actors. This volume is of special relevance today in light of the profound changes occurring within the PLA. We have seen first-hand the rapid expansion of the size and capability of the PLA as it pursues a long-term, comprehensive military modernization program in support of China's more assertive regional strategy. China's desire to develop a military commensurate with its diverse interests and economic power is both legitimate and understandable. However, China's coercive approach to security is problematic and of increasing concern to the region. The challenge for USPACOM, and the reason why this volume is timely and important, is to understand how China will employ this growing military capability in support of its interests. This volume and the conference that preceded it are deeply indebted to Mr. Lonnie Henley for crafting the conference precis that was provided to authors in the research and writing stage. The precis is essential reading for understanding the background of this effort and for the common frame of reference it provided to chapter authors, and has been included in Chapter 2 in this volume. After considering these factors, Henley concludes that three potential futures for the PLA might be usefully explored. The first future is of a PLA that is regionally focused. The second future sees the PLA as having global expeditionary capabilities. The final future is of a PLA that is significantly weakened in reach and scope. Henley states the many permutations that could exist, but argues that these futures cover sufficient breadth to be useful to chapter authors. It is important to note that Phillip Saunders provided a very helpful set of assumptions about the future which participants urged be included in the precis, to which Henley readily agreed. The remainder of the volume is dedicated to "looking over the horizon" at these alternative futures for the Chinese military in 2025. Chapters 3 to 5 examine the various and likely domestic, external, and technological drivers of China's military modernization. Chapters 6 to 8 discuss the potential alternative futures that could result from the interaction of the aforementioned drivers - a regionally focused PLA, a global expeditionary PLA, and a weakened PLA. Chapters 9 to 11 explore the implications of these alternative vectors of PLA modernization for East Asian regional dynamics, U.S.-China relations, and the global system. Foreword * Overview * 1. Introduction * Roy Kamphausen and R. Lincoln Hines * 2. Whither China? Alternative Military Futures, 2020-30 * Lonnie D. Henley * Domestic, External, and Technological Drivers of People's Liberation Army Modernization * 3. Domestic Drivers of China's Future Military Modernization * Joseph Fewsmith * 4. People's Liberation Army Trajectories: International Drivers * Eric Heginbotham and Jacob Heim * 5. Capacity For Innovation: Technological Drivers of China's Future Military Modernization * Richard A. Bitzinger and Michael Raska * Alternative Futures for the People's Liberation Army * 6. The People's Liberation Army in 2020-30 Focused on Regional Issues * Bernard D. Cole * 7. A Global Expeditionary People's Liberation Army: 2025-30 * Oriana Skylar Mastro * 8. China's Military Force Posture Under Conditions of a Weakened People's Liberation Army: Alternative Military Futures, 2020-30 * Daniel Gearin and Erin Richter * Implications for the Region, World, and U.S.-China Relations * 9. Regional Dynamics in Response to Alternative PLA Development Vectors * Michael McDevitt * 10. Implications: China in the International System * Phillip C. Saunders * 11. Implications for U.S.-China Strategic Dynamics * Robert Sutter

Author: Jeffrey Engstrom
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780833099501
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This report reflects an attempt to understand current thinking in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) regarding system of systems and systems warfare, as well as current methods of warfighting. This report should be of interest to military analysts and scholars of the PLA, policymakers, and anyone else who seeks insight into how the PLA conceptualizes and seeks to wage modern warfare.

Author: Joel Wuthnow
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780160937873
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has embarked on its most wide-ranging and ambitious restructuring since 1949, including major changes to most of its key organizations. The restructuring reflects the desire to strengthen PLA joint operation capabilities- on land, sea, in the air, and in the space and cyber domains. The reforms could result in a more adept joint warfighting force, though the PLA will continue to face a number of key hurdles to effective joint operations, Several potential actions would indicate that the PLA is overcoming obstacles to a stronger joint operations capability. The reforms are also intended to increase Chairman Xi Jinping's control over the PLA and to reinvigorate Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organs within the military. Xi Jinping's ability to push through reforms indicates that he has more authority over the PLA than his recent predecessors. The restructuring could create new opportunities for U.S.-China military contacts.