People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force

People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
Unit name	Strategic Support Force
Native name	中国人民解放军战略支援部队
Caption	Emblem of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
Dates	31 December 2015 – present
Country	China
Branch	People's Liberation Army
Type	Military branch
Role	Space, cyber, electronic, and psychological warfare; technical and intelligence support
Size	Classified
Command structure	Central Military Commission
Garrison	Beijing
Current commander	Jin Xinchun
Notable commanders	Gao Jin

People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force. The People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force is a technical service branch of the People's Liberation Army established in 2015 as a core component of Xi Jinping's sweeping military reforms. It consolidates the People's Liberation Army's strategic capabilities in space, cyber, and electronic warfare domains under a unified command. The force is directly subordinate to the Central Military Commission and represents a critical element in China's drive for information dominance and military modernization.

History and establishment

The Strategic Support Force was formally established on 31 December 2015 as part of a major restructuring of the People's Liberation Army ordered by Xi Jinping, who serves as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Its creation was announced alongside the formation of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force and the People's Liberation Army Joint Logistics Support Force, marking a departure from the traditional land-centric military district system. The force was built upon existing capabilities previously scattered across the former General Staff Department, the former General Armaments Department, and services like the People's Liberation Army Navy and People's Liberation Army Air Force. This reorganization aimed to centralize command over critical asymmetric warfare domains to better execute integrated joint operations in line with China's national security strategy.

Organization and structure

The Strategic Support Force is organized into several specialized departments, primarily the Space Systems Department and the Network Systems Department, which manage its core mission areas. The Space Systems Department is responsible for space launch, tracking, and command, operating assets like the Yaogan satellite constellation and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. The Network Systems Department oversees cyber operations, electronic countermeasures, and psychological warfare units. The force maintains close operational ties with other branches, including the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force and the People's Liberation Army Air Force, and collaborates with civilian entities like the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the Cyberspace Administration of China. Its headquarters is believed to be located in the Haidian District of Beijing.

Mission and responsibilities

The primary mission of the Strategic Support Force is to ensure information superiority and provide integrated strategic support for all People's Liberation Army operations. Its responsibilities encompass managing military space operations, including reconnaissance, communications, and navigation. It conducts offensive and defensive cyber operations and electronic warfare to disrupt adversary command networks and protect friendly systems. The force also engages in psychological operations and technical intelligence collection, supporting campaigns across the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and other potential theaters. It plays a vital role in anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategies, particularly in scenarios involving the United States Armed Forces.

Capabilities and equipment

The force operates a wide array of advanced systems, including imaging and signals intelligence satellites within the Yaogan and Shijian series, launched from sites like Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Its cyber capabilities are supported by dedicated units often referred to by U.S. analysts as PLA Unit 61398 and PLA Unit 61486. For electronic warfare, it fields ground-based jamming systems, counterspace weapons, and directed-energy platforms. The force is integral to the operational functionality of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, which rivals the U.S. GPS and GLONASS. It also utilizes sophisticated supercomputing resources and artificial intelligence for information warfare and battlefield management.

Leadership and personnel

The force is commanded by an officer holding the rank of general within the People's Liberation Army. Its first commander was Gao Jin, who previously served in the General Staff Department. The current commander is Jin Xinchun, who assumed the position after serving as deputy commander. The political commissar, a position of equal authority, has been held by officers such as Liu Fawu. Personnel are drawn from elite technical backgrounds, including graduates of the National University of Defense Technology and the People's Liberation Army Information Engineering University. Recruitment focuses on expertise in computer science, aerospace engineering, cryptography, and electronic engineering, with many officers having served in the former Third and Fourth Departments.

Strategic significance and role

The Strategic Support Force is a cornerstone of China's ambition to become a "world-class military" by 2049, as articulated by Xi Jinping. It is central to realizing the concept of "intelligentized warfare" and winning "informationized" conflicts. The force enhances the People's Liberation Army's ability to contest domains critical to modern combat, directly challenging the technological edge of rivals like the United States Armed Forces and influencing the regional balance of power in areas like the Indo-Pacific. Its operations in cyber and space blur traditional lines between peace and war, enabling gray-zone coercion. The force's growth signifies a strategic shift towards asymmetric capabilities that could define future confrontations over Taiwan, the South China Sea, or in competition with NATO allies.

Category:Military units and formations established in 2015 Category:People's Liberation Army Category:Strategic support forces