The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week.
The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan.
The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said.
Photo: Jason Lee, Reuters
The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches, ports and bases, and has combined novel and conventional technology in multiple layers, it said.
It has worked on enhancing the cooperation between military and civilian society to enable a rapid transition to a wartime footing, it said, adding that it continued to build its strategic weapons arsenal to deter international intervention in the Taiwan Strait.
China has been building navy and coast guard offshore patrol vessels en masse, which could be used to isolate important ports from strategic materials and commerce, the ministry said.
The PLA Navy could also be rapidly deployed to blockade or shape conditions for a formal attack on Taiwan proper, it said.
China plans to mobilize civilian transport vessels to assist military operations, which could resolve its lack of logistical capabilities, the ministry said, adding that it could conceal signs of an invasion preparation.
The PLA would be able to hide from prying eyes its transition to war and shorten the time Taiwan would have to prepare for a fight, it said.
Identifying the signs of a Chinese invasion has become difficult for Taiwan, the ministry said.
The prevalence of commercial satellites allows for unprecedented observation and geolocation capabilities that has made the battlefield transparent, it said.
The armed forces must be mobile, agile and capable of dispersing or concentrating as needed, to preserve its force under enemy fire, it said, adding that it must also focus on building flexible and agile capabilities to enable the rapid dispersal or concentration of combat power.
Long-range and uncrewed weapon systems allow precision strikes at longer ranges and give more choices in delivery, blurring the line between the front and rear areas, it said.
The protection of logistics lines has become key to winning offensive and defensive operations on a battlefield where troops are sure to consume huge amounts of ammunition and supplies, the ministry said.
The PLA’s electronic warfare combined with hard-kill capabilities pose a severe threat to the nation’s armed forces, it said.
The military must have secure communication, and geolocation and navigation systems to deploy and preserve combat power, the ministry said.
Drones, including “smart” loitering munitions, have brought significant changes to land warfare and air defense, it said, adding that uncrewed aerial and naval vehicles could be used to attack maritime targets or conduct long-range strikes.
China would use conventional, mixed and unconventional forces should a war break out, it said.
For Taiwan, mounting an effective defense depends on whole-of-society support, rapid mobilization of military and civilian capabilities, and ensuring the government and essential services survive, the ministry said.
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