China Maritime Report No. 1: China's Third Sea Force, The People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia: Tethered to the PLA
Abstract
Amid growing awareness that China's Maritime Militia acts as a Third Sea Force which has been involved in international sea incidents, it is necessary for decision-makers who may face such contingencies to understand the Maritime Militia's role in China's armed forces. Chinese-language open sources reveal a tremendous amount about Maritime Militia activities, both in coordination with and independent of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Using well-documented evidence from the authors' extensive open source research, this report seeks to clarify the Maritime Militia's exact identity, organization, and connection to the PLA as a reserve force that plays a parallel and supporting role to the PLA. Despite being a separate component of China's People's Armed Forces (PAF), the militia are organized and commanded directly by the PLA's local military commands. The militia's status as a separate non-PLA force whose units act as "helpers of the PLA" is further reflected in China's practice of carrying out "joint military, law enforcement, and civilian [Navy-Maritime Law Enforcement-Maritime Militia] defense". To more accurately capture the identity of the Maritime Militia, the authors propose referring to these irregular forces as the "People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia" (PAFMM).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1148867
Entities
People
- Andrew S. Erickson
- Conor M. Kennedy
Organizations
- Naval War College