Organizing to Fight in the Far Seas, The Chinese Navy in an Era of Military Reform
Abstract
The Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has been laying the organizational groundwork for far seas operations for nearly two decades, developing logistical and command infrastructure to support a near seas defense and far seas protection strategy. In the context of such a strategy, the PLANs ability to project power into the far seas depends upon its ability to dominate the near seas, effectively constituting a sword and shield approach. Along with the rest of the PLA, the PLANs peacetime command structure has been brought into line with its wartime command structures, and in terms of near seas defense, those command structures have been streamlined and made joint. By contrast, the command arrangements for far seas operations have not been clearly delineated and no one organ or set of organs has been identified as responsible for them. While this is manageable in the context of Chinas current, limited far seas operational presence, any meaningful increase in the size, scope, frequency, and intensity of far seas operations will require further structural reforms at the Central Military Commission and theater command levels in order to lay out clear command responsibilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1133122
Entities
People
- Morgan Clemens
- Roderick Lee
Organizations
- Naval War College