Taking Charge: Why Does China Need its Mysterious New Combat Force
SputnikNews.com
24.01.2016
China’s military reforms in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which have sped up since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, are making continuous progress and currently the focus seems to be on organizational reform and restructuring.
The reorganizations come at a time when Beijing is becoming more assertive about territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The country is feeling the need to modernize its army’s management system and overcome any organizational issues still in place.
Hence, on December 31, 2015, the Central Military Commission formally revamped the organizational structure of the PLA, forming three new organizations: the Army Leading Organ, the Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force.
The Army Leading Organ is set to be a centralized command hub, responsible for coordinating joint operations between different PLA branches, which has long been a goal of China’s military reforms.
The Rocket Force is an upgraded version of the PLA’s strategic nuclear missile force, “the 2nd Artillery Corps, and seems to be a formal recognition of the branch-level role the corps has long played,” according to online publication the Defense One.
The newly-established Strategic Support Force (SSF) of the People’s Liberation Army will take charge of the military’s space, cyberspace and electronic warfare operations, according to a senior PLA expert.
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