China’s Military, Information Warfare & Interpretation of the PLA’s Strategic Support Units

中國軍事信息戰解读解放军战略支援部队

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December 31, 2015, People’s Liberation Army’s governing bodies, the PLA rocket forces, the PLA strategic support troops inaugural meeting was held in August Building.The Army is the armed forces of our party was first built, which needless to say, the military rocket is an upgraded version of the Second Artillery Corps, reflects the strategic support great power status, do not need to deny self, then this strategy support troops may be too mysterious.

Because at the inaugural meeting, the CPC Central Committee General Secretary and State President and CMC Chairman Xi Jinping to the Army, rocket forces, strategic support units and granted the flag caused precepts. This means that the strategic support units, and the People’s Liberation Army is the Army, Navy, Air Force, Army rocket same level independent military services. And with respect to the Army’s “name” and the Second Artillery Rocket Army “named” upgrade, strategic support since the Second Artillery Force of the PLA has become established, the birth of the only new military services. From the point of view of modern high-tech local wars, armed forces and strategic nuclear strike force contains basically the main mode of combat and battlefield environment, then this strategy support troops, and what capability, turned out to be able to come to the fore?

Strategic support troops inaugural meeting, President Xi strategic support units carried out the following qualitative: strategic support units is to maintain national security of new combat forces is an important growth point of our military combat capability of quality. Strategic support units to adhere to all officers and soldiers system integration, civil-military integration, and strive to achieve leapfrog development in key areas, starting point to promote high standards of combat forces to accelerate the development of new, integrated development, strive to build a strong modernization strategy support units.

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There are a few key words: new combat forces, combat new quality capability, system integration, civil-military integration, key areas.

Xinhua News Agency news show, strategic support unit’s first commander was Gaojin. Network data shows he originally from Jiangsu Province, of the Jingjiang people. 1985 Gao-Jin enters the PLA Second Artillery Command College. July 2006, promoted to the rank of major general, served as the PLA Second Artillery Force 52 base commander. In December 2011, he served as chief of staff of the PLA Second Artillery Force. August 2013, promoted to the rank of lieutenant.In July 2014, he was transferred to the Assistant Chief of Staff. In December 2014, he was promoted to president of Academy of Military Sciences, and replace older than 1 year old deputy chief of staff YiXiaoguang will become the youngest Chinese Military general officer, Military Academy is the youngest president in history.

On November 2, 2015,Gaojin became a strategic support troops commander in the first 60 days, “Liberation Army Daily” published a paper entitled “deepen defense and military reform is the only way the army strong army Hing,” the signed article . Article specifically mentioned: the world’s new military revolution is an important component of the key variables in the world today and the great development and changes and major adjustments, the large its speed, scope, degree of depth, the impact of the unprecedented. Following another face of this epoch-making revolution in military weapon cold, hot weapons, mechanized military revolution after the world’s major countries competing to adjust its military strategy, stepping up military transformation, in order to reshape the military information as the core morphology, reconstruction of military force system. In the form of war from mechanization to informationization of qualitative leap, under conditions of nuclear deterrence armed Skynet electrical integration of joint operations is increasingly becoming a reality, from the battlefield to the traditional space high, deep, very far from the physical space and virtual space to expand non symmetric, non-contact, non-line combat style more mature, battle to seize control of information has become a comprehensive control over the core mechanism of winning the war profoundly changed.

Armed Skynet electrical integration joint commander Gaojin said nuclear deterrence combat conditions, where “day”, it never refers to the Army’s rocket missile, but in outer space, “net” is in cyberspace, “power” is the electromagnetic space. Modern high-tech local wars, armed forces military remains the key to victory, but also the main battleground in the sea and air space, but a typical characteristic of information warfare is asymmetrical, non-contact, non-line operations, and achieve the key to this transformation is in outer space, cyberspace and electromagnetic space “three special battlefield.” Due to the large electromagnetic space and physical isolation from the impact, typically have only tactical significance. Whereas outer space and cyberspace, it is high, deep, very far from ubiquitous in the physical space and virtual space, which has a strategic significance. On both the battlefield flame, not flesh and blood flying, but dangerous worse than conventional battlefield, troops could have a corresponding force building and sound command response agencies, the result will be a conventional battlefield the outcome must have an important and even qualitative impact.

This is the meaning of China’s “strategic support” forces. Reasoning logically, Chinese strategic support units, it may be in outer space and cyberspace “new combat forces” for giving our military the “new mass combat capability” new growth point.

In order to achieve this capability “strategic support” of military power have set up competing celestial army (troops outer space) and Cyber ​​Army (network warfare units). US troops in outer space, from the “Decree” system, troops belonging to the armed forces, including missile and space defense forces, the Navy’s carrier-based anti-missile forces, the Air Force C4ISR and the use of space satellites Army troops, and in the “military orders on “system, these forces are unified owned by the US strategic command headquarters. In 2009, under the US Strategic Command has established a new subordinate command, namely Network Warfare Command, the unified command of the US Armed Corps network warfare units.

Russia in December 2011 set up air and space defense troops, but it was such a force has only arms and the operational level status, the military power of the central air and space defense forces only jurisdiction, but can not solve Russia’s air defense force under unified command of proposal question. August 1, 2015, the Russian air force and air defense forces, air defense forces merged to form the air and space forces. Which it is now Russia has no air force in the traditional sense. Air and space defense forces will remain the unified command of the Russian General Staff, and the direct leadership of the day will be empty Army General Headquarters. Aerospace duty Army is responsible for unified management of air, anti-aircraft and anti-missile forces, and Russian satellite orbit Cluster spacecraft launch and management. In addition, the missile attack warning systems and space surveillance systems within the scope of the jurisdiction of military air and space.

From the public point of view, so far Russia has not yet set up as a dedicated network warfare units like the US, but does not have a special unified command structure.

Advances in technology, to make human use of outer space and cyberspace, to achieve the purpose of the military, but that does not mean big opportunities for state-owned, have the ability and courage to break the old military system, to adapt to the new form of war requirements. How to build a national unified command and outer space and cyberspace defense system. Russia and the United States gave us a lot of lessons.

The United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War hegemony, had spent heavily in the development of military platforms and a lot of space weapons systems, but the US military space systems, almost all rests in the hands of the Air Force, and the Soviet Union established the Strategic Rocket Forces troops. Visible, the US military is relying on the armed services to build space defense system, and the former Soviet Union is the establishment of a new military services.

At the end of the Cold War, the Russian strategic rocket forces in the original, based on an independent arms to draw a military space forces. March 2011, the Russian military space forces again, based on the formation of air and space defense troops.However, under the oppression of US nuclear weapons, global strike, anti-missile and other space powers, Russia and aerospace field is still fragmented, air and space attack threats it faces increasingly severe pain, while there is no uniform national air and space defense command structure . To safeguard the security of Russian aerospace field, create a better organizational and technical conditions for the implementation of the strategic future of air and space battles, the Russians in August 2015 set up air and space forces. But have to say is that the so-called empty space forces, the Russian equivalent of the US back to the old way, both relying on a unified air defense system to re-member space. This shows that, although Russia considers itself aerospace suffered a big threat, but the economic and technological strength, has been insufficient to support the establishment of a development, a separate military services promising, but only on the basis of the Air Force “linger.”

Russian frustration with respect to the United States the development of air and space power is somewhat intentional play balance. The main part of the US Air Force air and space power, but in the “ABM” the US military in the 21st century the most important military operation of air and space, is the main operator of the US Army. In addition to the Navy’s “Aegis” missile defense system, the US military’s ground-based midcourse ABM, THAAD and Patriot anti-missile terminal, they are in control of the US Army, and a bunch of computer manipulation Army Air Force Base. Of course, whether it is armed soldiers, they eventually unify obey the command of US Strategic Command. But the US military services rely on different building space defense system, military services still reflects the inherent ideological balance thinking. This is because the US military very large volume, especially during the Cold War, which makes the US military services have funding research challenges of new technologies. And after 1986, the new Department of Defense Reorganization Act by the US military approach is from the perspective of the Joint Operations Command, the unified “collection” command the services of new combat forces to integrate. US Network Warfare Command was established, also a product of this approach.

US military advantage of this approach is that the services Eight Immortals recount, the final choice can be optimized in the competition, but the disadvantage is that there is a huge waste, and the services in peacetime and do not belong to the system, it is difficult wartime unity of action. Although the US military reform highlights the joint operations of thought, but the individual military services after all are not the same culture, and outer space and cyberspace, the required military personnel are a small number of capable staff, if the artificial formation of different military services background, a bit “for the United the joint “deliberate sense.

With respect to the United States and Russia, China’s military advantage is the revolution in military time scale, technological change and changes in the army almost simultaneously, the synchronization off, which makes the Chinese military have the opportunity to design the height from the top, in the lessons learned from military based on the construction of military services and more rational planning. While China’s national strength and technological level of rapid growth, but also to the construction of China’s new military services will not fall into the “make bricks without straw,” the fantasy embarrassment.

In the field of anti-missile, the Chinese Defense Ministry has confirmed that the January 11, 2010, September 11, 2012, January 27, 2013, July 23, 2014 were carried out four ground-based midcourse missile interception technical tests. In the field of anti-satellite, the Chinese Foreign Ministry acknowledged in January 2007 anti-satellite missile test. Out media speculation in 2010 and 2013. China has conducted two tests of anti-satellite weapons, but did not get China confirmed. Platform in space, China from 2010 into more than 15 times the average annual emission intensive stage, reaching an average growth of around 20 the number of satellites, the establishment of a chain of day, the Beidou, high scores, and a series of remote sensing satellites family now the number of satellites in orbit over Russia, after the United States. In 2014 MH370 lost contact incident, China urgent mobilization of four models ocean, clouds, high, remote sensing, nearly 10 satellites to provide technical support for ground search and rescue operations.

In network technology, China has become the world’s Internet and mobile Internet users than any other country, not only the birth of a group of like Alibaba, Tencent world-class Internet companies, such as Huawei also appeared in network technology giant. China in the next generation of Internet technology, has become one rule-makers. But while China has become the network against the most affected countries by the world, which means that China must consider the network security of the country from a strategic height, including the establishment of a unified defense force and a network system.

There is no doubt that the new military revolution has proved that outer space is to promote our army “system integration” an important heights, and cyberspace is the embodiment of “civil-military integration,” a typical example of these two historic space is the Chinese army reform the key areas. China established strategic support units, will likely be the world’s first and do not rely on traditional military services to establish a unified military force in outer space and cyberspace defense system. This initiative is bound to leave an indelible mark in the world’s new military revolution.

Original Mandarin Chinese:

凤凰军事作者:郑文浩

2015年12月31日,中国人民解放军陆军领导机构、中国人民解放军火箭军、中国人民解放军战略支援部队成立大会在八一大楼隆重举行。陆军是我党最早建立的武装力量,这就不用说了,火箭军是二炮的升级版,体现了大国地位的战略支撑,自不需要讳言,那么这支战略支援部队可就太神秘了。

因为在成立大会上,中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平向陆军、火箭军、战略支援部队授予军旗并致训词。这就意味着,战略支援部队,是和解放军陆军、海军、空军、火箭军平级的独立军种部队。而相对于陆军的“正名”和第二炮兵到火箭军的“命名”升级,战略支援部队成为解放军自二炮成立以来,诞生的唯一新军种部队。从现代化高技术局部战争来看,陆海空军以及战略核打击部队基本上囊括了主要的作战方式和战场环境,那么这支战略支援部队,又有哪些能耐,能够脱颖而出横空出世呢?

在战略支援部队成立大会上,习主席对战略支援部队进行了如下的定性:战略支援部队是维护国家安全的新型作战力量,是我军新质作战能力的重要增长点。战略支援部队全体官兵要坚持体系融合、军民融合,努力在关键领域实现跨越发展,高标准高起点推进新型作战力量加速发展、一体发展,努力建设一支强大的现代化战略支援部队。

这里面有几个关键词:新型作战力量、新质作战能力、体系融合、军民融合、关键领域。

新华社新闻显示,战略支援部队的首任司令员是高津。网络资料显示高津是江苏靖江人。1985年高津进入解放军第二炮兵指挥学院。2006年7月,晋升少将军衔,担任解放军第二炮兵第52基地司令员。2011年12月,担任中国人民解放军第二炮兵参谋长。2013年8月,晋升中将军衔。2014年7月,调任总参谋长助理。2014年12月,升任军事科学院院长,并取代比其年长1岁的副总参谋长乙晓光中将,成为最年轻的正大军区级将领,也是军事科学院历史上最年轻的院长。

在2015年11月2日,也就是高津在成为战略支援部队司令员的前60天,在《解放军报》上发表了题为“深化国防和军队改革是强军兴军的必由之路”的署名文章。文章中特别提到:世界新军事革命是当今世界大发展大变革大调整的重要构成和关键变量,其速度之快、范围之广、程度之深、影响之大前所未有。面对这场继冷兵器、热兵器、机械化军事革命之后的又一次划时代军事革命,世界主要国家竞相调整军事战略,加紧推进军事转型,以信息化为核心重塑军队组织形态、重构军事力量体系。战争形态处于由机械化向信息化跃升的质变期,核威慑条件下陆海空天网电一体化联合作战日益成为现实,战场从传统空间向极高、极深、极远物理空间和虚拟空间拓展,非对称、非接触、非线式作战样式更趋成熟,制信息权成为夺取战场综合控制权的核心,战争制胜机理深刻改变。

高津司令员所说的核威慑条件下陆海空天网电一体化联合作战,其中的“天”,就绝不是指的火箭军部队的导弹,而是外层空间,“网”则是网络空间,“电”则是电磁空间。现代化高技术局部战争,陆海空军部队仍然是决胜的关键,而争夺的战场也主要在陆海空空间进行,但信息化战争的一个典型特色,就是非对称、非接触、非线式作战,而实现这一转变的关键环节,就是在外层空间、网络空间和电磁空间的“这三个特殊战场”。电磁空间由于受距离和物理隔绝的影响很大,通常只具有战术意义。而外层空间和网络空间,则是极高、极深、极远物理空间和无处不在的虚拟空间,从而具有战略上意义。在这两个战场上的拼杀,没有血肉横飞,但凶险却比常规战场有过之而无不及,军队能否拥有对应的力量建设和健全的指挥反应机构,其结果将对常规战场的胜负产生重要甚至绝定性影响。

这就是“战略支援”的含义所在。从逻辑上推理,中国战略支援部队,很可能就是针对外层空间和网络空间的“新型作战力量”,赋予我军“新质作战能力”新增长点。

为了获得这种“战略支援”的能力,军事大国都曾争相成立天军(外层空间部队)和网军(网络战部队)。美国的外层空间部队,从“政令”体制上,分属陆海空三军部队,包括陆军的空间和导弹防御部队,海军的舰载反导部队、空军的C4ISR和空间卫星使用部队,而在“军令”系统上,这些部队则统一归美国战略司令部指挥。在2009年,美军又在战略司令部之下成立了一个新的下级司令部,即网络战司令部,统一指挥美军陆海空陆战队的网络战部队。

俄罗斯在2011年12月成立了空天防御兵,但当时这一部队仅具有兵种和战役级地位,只有管辖中央军区空天防御部队的权力,但无法解决俄罗斯空提案防御力量统一指挥的问题。2015年8月1日,俄空天防御部队和空军、防空军合并,组成了空天军。也就是现在俄罗斯已经没有了传统意义上的空军。空天防御部队仍将由俄罗斯总参谋部统一指挥,而直接领导将是空天军总司令部。空天军将负责统一管理执勤的空中、防空和反导力量,以及俄罗斯轨道卫星集群航天器的发射和管理。另外,导弹袭击预警系统和太空监控系统也属于空天军管辖范围。

从公开资料上看,目前为止俄罗斯还没有像美军那样成立专门的网络战部队,更没有设立专门的统一指挥机构。

技术的进步,让人类的得以利用外层空间和网络空间,来实现军事上的目的,但这并不意味着大国有机会、有能力、有胆识打破旧有的军队体制,来适应新形态战争的要求。如何构建并统一指挥全国性的外层空间和网络空间防御体系。美国和俄罗斯给我们提供了很多经验教训。

美国和苏联在冷战争霸过程中,曾经耗费巨资开发了大量空间军事平台和武器系统,但美军的空间系统几乎都掌握在空军手中,而苏联则成立了战略火箭军部队。可见,美军是依托军种构建空间防御体系,而前苏联是成立新的军种。

在冷战结束后,俄罗斯在原有战略火箭军的基础上,划出了一个军事航天部队的独立兵种。2011年3月,俄罗斯又以军事航天部队为基础,组建了空天防御兵。然而在美国核武器、全球快速打击、反导等太空力量的压迫下,俄罗斯空天领域仍然是割裂的,痛感其面临的空天袭击威胁日益严峻,而同时本国又没有统一的空天防御指挥机构。为切实维护俄空天领域安全,为实施未来的空天战略性战役创造更好的组织和技术条件,俄军于2015年8月组建了空天军。然而不得不说的是,所谓的空天军,等于俄罗斯回到了美军的老路上,既依托空军重新构件统一的空间防御体系。这说明,俄罗斯虽然认为自身空天所遭受威胁很大,但其经济和技术实力,已经不足以支撑建立一个有发展、有前途的独立军种,而只能在空军的基础上”苟延残喘“。

相对于俄罗斯的无奈,美国空天力量发展则有些故意玩平衡。美国空天力量的主要部分在空军,然而在“反导”这个美军在21世纪最重要的空天军事动作上,主要的操作者却是美国陆军。除了海军的“宙斯盾”导弹防御系统之外,美军的陆基中段反导、THAAD和爱国者终端反导,都是美国陆军在掌控,而且是一帮陆军军人在美国空军基地中操纵电脑。当然,无论是陆海空军人,他们最终都统一听从美军战略司令部的指挥。但美国依托不同军种构建空间防御体系,仍然体现了固有军种平衡思维的思想。这是因为美国军费体量极为庞大,尤其在冷战期间,这使得美军各军种都有资金研究新技术的挑战。而1986年新国防部改组法通过后,美军的做法就是从联合作战司令部的角度,统一“收缴”指挥各军种新作战力量进行整合。而美国网络战司令部的成立,也同样是这一方法的产物。

美军这种方法的优点在于,各军种八仙过海各显神通,最后可以在竞争中优化选择,但缺点在于存在巨大浪费,且各军种在平时互不统属,很难在战时统一行动。固然美军改革突出了联合作战的思想,但各个军种文化毕竟不相同,而且外层空间和网络空间,所需军事人员都数量少、人员精干,如果再人为形成不同军种背景,就有点“为了联合而联合”刻意之感。

相对于美俄,中国军队的优势,是在军事革命的时间尺度上,技术变革和军队变革几乎同步进行、同步起飞,这使得中国军队有机会从顶层设计的高度,在借鉴外军经验教训的基础上,更合理地规划军种建设。而中国国力和科技水平的快速增长,也让中国新军种的建设不至于陷入“巧妇难为无米之炊”的空想尴尬。

在反导领域,中国国防部已经证实,在2010年1月11日、2012年9月11日、2013年1月27日、2014年7月23日分别进行了四次陆基中段反导拦截技术试验。在反卫星领域,中国外交部在2007年1月承认进行了反卫星导弹试验。而外媒猜测在2010年和2013年中国还进行过两次反卫星武器试验,但未获得中方证实。在太空平台上,中国从2010年开始,进入年均15次以上的密集发射阶段,年均卫星增长数量达到20枚左右,建立了天链、北斗、高分、遥感等一系列卫星家族,目前在轨卫星数量已经超过俄罗斯,仅次于美国。在2014年的MH370失联事件中,中国紧急调动海洋、风云、高分、遥感等4个型号,近10颗卫星为地面搜救行动提供技术支持。

在网络技术上,中国已经成为全球互联网和移动互联网用户最多的国家,不但诞生了一批像阿里巴巴、腾讯的世界级网络企业,也出现了像华为这样的网络技术巨头。中国在新一代互联网技术上,已经成为规则的制定者之一。但同时中国也成为世界上受到网络侵害最严重的国家,这就意味着中国必须从战略高度考虑国家的网络安全,其中也包括建立统一的网络防卫力量和体系。

毫无疑问,新军事革命已经证明,外层空间是推进我军“体系融合”的重要高地,而网络空间则是体现“军民融合”的典型范例,这两个空间则是中国军队历史性改革的关键领域。中国战略支援部队的成立,将可能是世界上首次不依托传统军种而建立统一的外层空间和网络空间防御军事力量体系。这项创举必然会在世界新军事革命中写下浓墨重彩的一笔。

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