Towards a New Strategy?

Abstract

Since the mid-1970s, the modernisation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has once again become a major issue in China, and following the 1979 border war with Vietnam the defence establishment has focused its attention on improving the armed forces’ capability to conduct combined arms warfare. With the introduction of combined arms warfare as the central focus of training and tactics, modernising the PLA became distinctly more complex. Updating the PLA’s equipment, improving its logistical support capabilities, and increasing the proficiency of the officer corps in properly utilising these capabilities are all specific aspects of the broad and difficult problem of determining the PLA’s future strategies.

The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and are not intended to represent the official policies of The Air University, the United States Air Force, or the Department of Defense.