China Maritime Report No. 4: Civil Transport in PLA Power Projection

Abstract

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has ambitious goals for its power projection capabilities. Aside from preparing for the possibility of using force to resolve Beijing's territorial claims in East Asia, it is also charged with protecting China's expanding "overseas interests." These national objectives require the PLA to be able to project significant combat power beyond China's borders. To meet these needs, the PLA is building organic logistics support capabilities such as large naval auxiliaries and transport aircraft. But it is also turning to civilian enterprises to supply its transportation needs. Since 2012, the PLA has taken major steps to improve its ability to leverage civilian carriers as part of the strategic projection support forces in support of military operations. It has developed strategic projection support ship fleets, comprising civilian-operated roll-on/roll-off, container, tanker, and semi-submersible ships. It has also integrated civilian aviation enterprises into strategic projection support aircraft fleets. To facilitate the staging of military forces for projection beyond China's borders, the PLA has improved its ability to use China's modern rail networks and trucking fleet. The PLA has also developed its first strategic projection base, a specialized center of logistics expertise intended to serve PLA power projection requirements through civil-military fusion. To be sure, China's strategic projection support forces must overcome several challenges before they can fully meet the needs of the PLA. In some cases, training is lax and national defense standards are outdated, or not fully implemented. The PLA itself, which is currently in the midst of a major reform, must also improve its ability to integrate civilian carriers into its combat and support operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1148864

Entities

People

  • Conor M. Kennedy

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Forces (Foreign)
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Airframes
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Cargo Aircraft
  • Combat Operations
  • Combat Readiness
  • Logistics
  • Marine Transportation
  • Military Equipment
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • Military Transportation
  • National Security
  • Transport Aircraft
  • Transportation Infrastructure
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Strategic Security Studies