China: Special Operations Forces of the PLA

Highlights

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) formed its "first special mission, quick reaction unit" in the Guangzhou Military Region (MR) during the mid- to late 1980s. Over the next decade, this type of unit would evolve and proliferate to every MR in China. There were two primary reasons for this evolution. First, the PLA was shifting its doctrine from the "People's War" to fighting a "Local War Under High-Technology Conditions." The Chinese believe their next war will be a short, fast-paced conflict on their periphery rather than a protracted war of attrition on friendly terrain. Secondly, the PLA was impressed by the capabilities of American and Coalition special operations forces (SOFs) during the Persian Gulf War. The war prompted the Chinese to accelerate the formation of modern, professional SOFs capable of providing the PLA with timely reconnaissance and direct action (DA) capabilities.

Discussion

There is some confusion as to what the PLA considers to be "special" forces and how they compare to U.S. SOFs. The U.S. Armed Forces define special operations as actions "conducted by specially organized, trained, and equipped military and paramilitary forces to achieve military, political, economic, or psychological objectives by nonconventional means in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive areas." SOF units are characterized as being technology-intensive and their members as being experts in their fields.

China's SOFs appear to be focussed on special reconnaissance (SR) and DA missions; in addition, there are reports of SOF units participating as opposing forces during exercises. The mission of SR is to gain information of national or theater-level significance about the enemy, weather, and terrain behind enemy lines: e.g., the location of enemy command posts; reserves; weapons of mass destruction; key weapons systems; logistic sites; possible river-crossing sites; avenues of approach; and targeting data, especially for precision weapons systems. Chinese SOFs may also have reconnaissance and security force roles in airborne operations, as well as providing terminal guidance for precision-guided munitions.

DA missions are "short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive activities conducted primarily by" SOFs. The PLA's SOFs practice raids on vital positions, rescuing prisoners, and capturing valuable enemy personnel. Targets for these activities are likely to include enemy command posts, airfields, bridges, weapons of mass destruction, and key weapons systems, such as air-defense sites.

The Chinese use the phrases "special forces dadui" and "special reconnaissance dadui" when they refer to their SOFs. The term "dadui" denotes a military unit approximately the size of a regiment; it is roughly equivalent to a U.S. Army Special Forces Group. These units are likely to have over 1000 personnel assigned to them, divided among approximately three battalions. The number of SOF teams within each battalion, as well as the size of the teams, vary because of the missions they perform. The teams range in size from two-man units used for SR to reinforced companies used in DA missions.

Chinese SOFs are equipped with the best equipment the PLA can field. If they follow the pattern used by SOFs of other nations, they use standard and modified versions of the equipment designed for general-purpose forces to meet their unique mission requirements. In addition, they probably are familiar with foreign individual and squad weapons.

Chinese SOF units are reported to have various types of specialized equipment, including night-vision goggles (NVGs), low-light-level television (LLLTV) systems, powered parachutes (PPCs), global positioning systems (GPSs), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An LLLTV system can be used for day/night surveillance, target acquisition, fire control, fire adjustment, target identification, and target tracking. The PPC, called by the Chinese the "world's lightest flying device," was fielded to the SOFs in 1996. It is capable of self-powered take-off and landing in very short distances, which will greatly enhance an SOF unit's infiltration and exfiltration capabilities. The PPC is capable of carrying a soldier and a limited amount of gear at an approximate rate of 18 km to 35 km per hour. The air-cooled, two-stroke engine operates on unleaded gasoline and can fly for 2 hours on one tank of gas, for a flight range of 45 km. The benefits of the PPC are as follows:

	It can maneuver and land in restricted terrain.
	It is lightweight and compact for easy transport.
	Its engine makes little noise (comparable to a lawn mower) and can be turned off for glide mode.
	The flyer needs no assistance for assembly, take-off, or landing.

The GPS is a handheld navigational system that can pinpoint the user's location anywhere in the world to within 10 to 15 meters. UAVs are small, remote-controlled (or preprogrammed) aircraft that are used for reconnaissance and surveillance. These vehicles can carry:

	Aerial photogrammetry cameras.
	Video cameras (with real-time downlink).
	Infrared linescanner.
	Panoramic cameras.
	LLLTV camera with zoom lens.

These vehicles are capable of performing their missions for 2 hours out to a range of 100 km. It is likely that a specialized subunit handles the UAVs, since they would require a considerable amount of technical and field training owing to the high-tech nature of the systems.

PLA SOFs do not possess their own aviation assets. They reportedly coordinate closely with Air Force, Navy, and Army aviation units. This could pose problems when the SOF unit needs to deploy in a specific manner and the pilots and/or aircraft assigned to the mission are inadequate to the task. SOF units are known to use helicopters and the YUN-5 fixed-wing aircraft in training for their missions.

Chinese SOFs, like their counterparts around the world, appear to emphasize superior physical fitness and small-arms proficiency in their soldiers. All PLA SOF units are probably trained in martial arts and airborne operations. Elements of each unit are likely to have specialized training in one or more of the following areas: UAVs, amphibious operations, demolitions, communications, computers, or foreign languages.

Conclusions

The Chinese have come to realize the important role of professional, well-equipped, and highly trained SOFs on the modern battlefield. The PLA has fielded SOF regiments into each of their MRs and will continue to prepare them for "Local War Under High-Technology Conditions." Even if the Chinese are unable to match the West technologically, their SOFs will still surpass those of most of their neighbors.