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PLA in Electromagnetic Domain PDF
PLA in Electromagnetic Domain PDF
T
he PLA expects to fight intense short wars strikes designed to paralyse an enemy’s networked
that will be very decisive. The ability of information systems, by creating “blind spots”
military forces to communicate and against an adversary’s C4ISR systems. The PLA’s
coordinate rapidly through Command, control, C4ISR programmes support the ground forces,
communications, computers, intelligence, navy, air force, missile forces, nuclear doctrine,
surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and space warfare. Its operational concepts for
networks means that military forces in Local Wars employing traditional signals intelligence and
at the operational level will be agile, capable of electronic warfare have expanded to include cyber
high-tempo deep operations, resource-intensive, warfare; kinetic and cyber attacks on satellites;
critically dependent on information and present in and information confrontation operations across
all warfare domains. China’s military modernisation the electromagnetic spectrum. The PLA, under
is underway, with the new PLA organisations the “Integrated Network Electronic Warfare”
aiming to establish a national and a theatre-level doctrine, has been paying significant attention to
HQ for ground forces, turning the Second Artillery information warfare in the past 10-15 years, not
department into a full-fledged service, and creating only looking at Cyber Warfare, but also battlefield
a Strategic Support Force to manage the information Electronic Warfare (EW).
domain including space, cyber and electronic Chinese EW doctrine emphasises using
warfare activities. This process started in 2015 electromagnetic spectrum weapons to suppress or
and will end only in 2020 or later. The Central deceive enemy electronic equipment. PLA EW
Military Commission (CMC) has been restructured strategy focuses on radio, radar, optical, infrared
in 15 departments and commission, the seven and microwave frequencies, in addition to
military regions have been reorganised into five adversarial computer and information systems. The
geographical-operational theatre commands and Chinese see EW as an important force multiplier
each branch of the Army has been reorganised as and would likely employ it in support of all combat
a service HQ for the forces, to separate the arms and services during a conflict. PLA EW units
administrative services from the operational have conducted jamming and anti-jamming
dynamics. The reforms also aim to reduce operations, testing the military’s understanding of
manpower in the Chinese military. EW weapons, equipment, and performance, which
helped improve their confidence in conducting
PLA Theory on Modern Warfare force on force, real equipment confrontation
The PLA envisions future conflicts under the operations in simulated EW environments.
conceptual umbrella of Integrated Network PLA strategists regard the ability to utilise
Electronic Warfare or INEW. It combines space and deny adversaries access to space as
coordinated use of computer network operations central to enabling modern, information warfare.
*(Maj Gen PK Mallick, VSM (Retd.) has been a Senior Directing Staff (SDS) at National Defence College,
New Delhi. He is an expert in Cyber Warfare, SIGINT and Electronic Warfare.)
operational construct that blends cyberspace domestic and international public opinion to
operations with kinetic operations, creating a form build support for China’s military actions and
of “cyber-kinetic strategic interaction.” The goal dissuade an adversary from pursuing actions
would be to blind, disrupt or deceive adversary contrary to China’s interests.
C4ISR systems while almost simultaneously z Legal Warfare uses international and
deploying its formidable conventional strike, ballistic domestic law to claim the legal high ground
missile, and maritime power projection forces. The or assert Chinese interests. It can be
PLA envisions this operational concept as employed to hamstring an adversary’s
“integrated network electronic warfare,” described operational freedom and shape the
by Michael Raska as the “coordinated use of cyber operational space. Legal warfare is also
operations, electronic warfare, space control, and intended to build international support and
kinetic strikes designed to create ‘blind spots’ in manage possible political repercussions of
an adversary’s C4ISR systems.” China’s military actions.
The PLA has recently described this as a form The PLA’s operational hierarchy of combat
of “network swarming attacks” and “multi- consists of three major levels: war, campaigns and
directional manoeuvring attacks” conducted in all battles, each of which is informed, respectively,
domains – space, cyberspace, ground, air, and sea. by a distinct level of operational guidance – namely
The Strategic Support Force has been designed to strategy, campaign methods, and tactics. Three
provide these integrated operations, employing Warfares can be identified primarily as a campaign
electronic warfare, cyberspace operations, space method with secondary, mostly strategic but also
and counter-space operations, military deception tactical applications. The PLA’s combination of
and psychological operations working jointly with psychological warfare; the manipulation of public
long-range precision strike, ballistic missile forces opinion, or media warfare and the manipulation of
and traditional conventional forces. legal arguments to strengthen China’s diplomatic
and security position, or what China calls
Three Warfare and information Warfare “legal warfare,” join together in a comprehensive
To set the strategic stage of the conflict, the information operations doctrine.
“Chinese People’s Liberation Army Political Work
Regulations” which were promulgated in 2003, sets C4ISR
forth among the tasks of political work, the task of As per the US DoD 2016 report, China
the “three warfares” — psychological warfare, continues to prioritise C4I modernisation as a
public opinion warfare, and legal warfare. response to trends in modern warfare that