White Paper: Chinese army improves capabilities to counter threats

Source: Xinhua | 01-20-2009 13:03

BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA)has been dedicated to performing its new historical missions and improving its capabilities to counter various security threats and accomplish diversified military tasks, says a White Paper on Tuesday.

The White Paper on China's National Defense in 2008, issued by the Information Office of the State Council, says at the new stage in the new century, the PLA has been striving to create a new situation in its modernization drive at a new historical starting point.

With the Scientific Outlook on Development as an important guiding principle for national defense and armed forces building, it has acted in accordance with the strategic thought of balancing economic and national defense development and integrating efforts to enrich the country and strengthen the military, says the White Paper.

It has accelerated the composite development of mechanization and informationization, conducted military training in conditions of informationization, and boosted innovation in military theory, technology, organization and management, to increase the core capability of winning local wars in conditions of informationization and the capability of conducting military operations other than war (MOOTW).

The White Paper says the PLA is working to improve military training, increase training tasks, and deepen training reform.

In the areas of conducting training in complex electromagnetic environments, the PLA is spreading basic knowledge of electromagnetic-spectrum and battlefield-electromagnetic environments, learning basic theories of information warfare, particularly electronic warfare.

It is enhancing training on how to operate and use informationized weaponry and equipment, and command information systems. It is working on the informationizing of combined tactical training bases, and holding exercises in complex electromagnetic environments, according to the White Paper.

The PLA insists on strengthening ideological and political work, enhancing the cost-effectiveness of logistical support, and boosting integrated equipment support.

The PLA is working to accelerate the building of a modern weaponry and equipment system with Chinese characteristics, says the White Paper.

Persisting in self-reliance and independent innovation, the PLA gives priority to developing informationized weapons and equipment which can meet the requirements of integrated joint operations, and carries out prioritized and selective retrofitting and upgrading of existing equipment.

"It has basically established an army equipment system featuring high mobility and three-dimensional assault, a naval equipment system with integrated sea-air capabilities for offshore defensive operations, an air force equipment system with integrated air-land capabilities for both offensive and defensive operations, a surface-to-surface missile equipment system for the Second Artillery Force comprising both nuclear and conventional missiles with different ranges, and an electronic information equipment system featuring systems integration and joint development," says the White Paper.

The PLA is also speeding up informationization, stepping up personnel training and will adhere to the principle of governing the forces in accordance with the law, says the White Paper.

Editor:Liu Anqi