Maintaining the Edge? The Peoples Liberation Army's Logistics and Maintenance Lessons Learned and Approaches Relevant for Counterintervention
Abstract
In the event of a high-end contingency involving the People's Republic of China, the United States, and Indo-Pacific allies and partners, the ability of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to project and sustain combat power beyond the Chinese mainland will depend on its logistics capabilities, systems, and processes. In particular, understanding the PLA's approach to maintenance management, a subfunction of logistics, is essential in assessing the PLA's ability to sustain its rapidly modernizing force in a potential conflict. After first noting the important role that logistics and maintenance play in the PLA's systems-of-systems thinking, this testimony will then examine key drivers of PLA logistics reforms to understand the lessons learned that the PLA has applied in modernizing its logistics capability. Because many elements of the Chinese military logistics system are not well understood, this testimony next focuses on assessing the PLA's approach to maintenance as one component of logistics and sustainment activities necessary to support the PLA's counter intervention efforts. The conclusion will focus on implications and recommendations for Congress and the broader federal government to consider.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 21, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1224404
Entities
People
- Cristina L. Garafola
Organizations
- RAND Corporation