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Li Jing

A Communist Party mouthpiece has shed light on plans for the military’s new Strategic Support Force, saying on the weekend that one of its main roles will be to coordinate joint operations by the PLA’s various branches.
People’s Daily said another of the support force’s core jobs would be to integrate military and civilian projects.
It quoted an unnamed military expert as saying the force would cover the People’s Liberation Army with an “information umbrella” by supplying accurate and credible information, as well as strategic support and safeguards for the whole system.
The report cited the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden as an example of how support forces could provide crucial backup for an operation by deploying satellites, carriers, fighter jets and an army of staff.
READ MORE: Chinese military launches two new wings for space and cyber age
The Strategic Support Force would work closely with the PLA’s ground, naval and air forces, as well as its new rocket wing, and would be a key element in winning any war, the report said.
The creation of the support wing is part of a massive overhaul of the military unveiled last year by President Xi Jinping. The reforms are designed to build a modern fighting force and include cutting 300,000 personnel and streamlining its command areas from seven to five.
At an inauguration ceremony for the support force late last month, Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, said “the Strategic Support Force is a new-type combat force to maintain national security and an important growth point of the PLA’s combat capabilities”.
He called on the force to leapfrog developments in key fields.
READ MORE: China appoints new military top brass in overhaul aimed at boosting professionalism
In its push to break ground in technology and operational strategy, the support force had already planned various joint projects with civilian research institutes and universities, it said.
As in developed countries, 80 per cent of military information technology would come from the civilian sector, the report said.
And with new technology becoming the next frontier of military competition between the major powers, support force researchers were preparing for “tomorrow’s war” by focusing on cutting-edge developments such as big-data applications, cloud computing, 3D printing and nanomaterials, the report said.
People’s Daily said the United States, Russia, Japan and Britain had established cyber and space forces to do battle in the digital world, and that China could not afford to lose out in such “unconventional warfare”.


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China’s military

PLA’s new support force to be hub of China’s joint military operations

Officers and soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army hold a flag and weapons during a training session for a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War Two, at a military base in Beijing, China, August 22, 2015. Troops from at least 10 countries including Russia and Kazakhstan will join an unprecedented military parade in Beijing next month to commemorate China's victory over Japan during World War Two, Chinese officials said. The parade on Sept. 3 will involve about 12,000 Chinese troops and 200 aircraft, Qi Rui, deputy director of the government office organizing the parade, told reporters in Beijing on Friday. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

The Strategic Support Force will work closely with the PLA’s ground, naval and air forces, as well as its new rocket wing. Photo: Reuters

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China

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Xi Jinping

PLA’s new support force to be hub of China’s joint military operations

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.css-jfmysa{display:inline;word-break:break-word;}.css-1ankfgb{cursor:pointer;display:inline;word-break:break-word;}READ MORE: Chinese military launches two new wings for space and cyber age

READ MORE: Chinese military launches two new wings for space and cyber age