Hong Kong: Chairman Xi Jinping initiated a far-reaching and massive restructuring of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2015-16. He slashed 300,000 troops, created joint theater commands, revamped various umbrella departments and elevated the PLA Rocket Force. Another important change was creation of the Strategic Support Force on 31 December 2015, but Xi has now terminated that organization and replaced it with another.
On 19 April, Xi was present at a high-level PLA ceremony in Beijing to inaugurate the Information Support Force as a replacement for the Strategic Support Force (SSF). The latter existed for just over eight years, and it remained a somewhat shadowy force. However, its functions were explained by the names of key constituent units such as the Space Systems Department and Network Systems Department.
Deletion of the SSF and creation of the brand new Information Support Force represents the most serious overhaul for the PLA since that upheaval of 2015-16. Using gobbledygook typical of government announcements, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesperson, explained: “Establishing the Information Support Force through restructuring is a major decision made by the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission for the cause of building a strong military, and a strategic step to establish a new system of services and arms and improve the modern military force structure with Chinese characteristics.”
In fact, the PLA now sports a more streamlined “4+4” force structure as a result. This formula refers to four services - the preexistent PLA Army, Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force - as well as four arms. The new Information Systems Department, joined by the newly elevated Aerospace Force and Cyberspace Force and the incumbent Joint Logistics Support Force, comprise these four arms of the PLA.
Another important change brought about by the new “4+4” structure is that these four arms are now directly subordinate to the Central Military Commission. The CMC, headed by Xi, is the top party organ in charge of all of China’s military and paramilitary forces.
The first commander of the Information Support Force is Lieutenant General Bi Yi, previously the SSF’s deputy commander. General Li Wei was named the force’s political commissar, previously having been political commissar of the SSF. The commander of the former SSF was General Ju Qiansheng, but his current status is unknown. He disappeared last year before reappearing briefly in February, and it is unclear if he has been implicated in the type of corruption scandal that totally rocked the PLA Rocket Force last year and decimated its top leadership ranks.
So, what does the Information Support Force do? Its roles are somewhat murky, even after Senior Colonel Wu explained that it underpins “coordinated development and application of network information systems”. Nonetheless, his description suggests it is responsible for handling network information systems, communications support and probably network defense. It likely subsumes tasks previously performed by the Information Communications Base.
At the investiture ceremony in Beijing, Xi cryptically said the new force “is necessary to effectively support operations, adhere to information-led and joint victory, smooth information links, integrate information resources, strengthen information protection, deeply integrate into the military’s joint operations system, accurately and efficiently implement information support, and serve to support military struggles in all directions and fields”.
Why did Xi implement this change at this point? Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the US Department of Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), told ANI: “Corruption could be a part, but they seem perfectly happy to remove senior leaders and let the organization continue, so it is more than that. Should be there was too much bureaucracy, but again that doesn’t seem to be the whole story, especially when you now add the Information Support Force. Perhaps the CMC (aka Xi Jinping) wanted more direct control of the information domain forces and felt like the SSF wasn’t getting the job done.”
He added too that perhaps the SSF’s Network Systems Department and cyber force were spread too thin and so the PLA therefore wanted to split some of their tasks and responsibilities. Certainly, it appears that improving military operational efficiency and strengthening political oversight were prominent reasons, and that Xi was not satisfied with the current performance of the SSF. The latter likely turned out to be an extraneous management layer that obscured Xi’s visibility of what the PLA was doing in the cyber, information and space realms. Indeed, according to a suggestion to ANI from one source, the SSF’s demise may too indirectly relate to China’s infamous high-altitude spy balloon program, which resulted in the USA shooting a balloon down over its territory in February 2023. (IANS)
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