The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

arms into full play, combine offensive operations with
defensive operations . . . refine the command system for
joint operations, the joint training system and the joint
support system, optimize the structure and composition
of forces and speed up the building of a combat force
structure suitable for winning local wars in conditions
of informatization. 12
Second, the PLA is charged with being effective
in “deterring crises and wars.” This requires “close
coordination between military struggle and political,
diplomatic, economic, cultural, and legal endeavors.”
Moreover, “[i]t [the MSG] strictly adheres to a position
of self-defense, exercises prudence in the use of force,
seeks to effectively control war situations, and strives
to reduce the risks and costs of war. It [the MSG] calls
for the building of a lean and effective deterrent force
and the flexible use of different means of deterrence.” 13
The most prominent manifestation of deterrence is the
no first use principle in Chinese nuclear policy. But
Chinese conceptions of what constitutes deterrence
appear to be very broad and diverse—ranging from
Chinese activities in space, such as the anti-satellite
test in January 2007, to more down-to-earth displays
such as military parades. 14
These first two roles—warfare and deterrence—
are long- standing missions of the PLA. What is relatively
new to authoritative publications is the third
role—performing a wide array of “diversified military
tasks”—including peacetime tasks. 15 According to the
Academy of Military Sciences’ The Science of Military
Strategy, “War-fighting and deterrence are the two
basic functions of the armed forces.” 16 The third task
does not appear in this landmark volume first published
in Chinese in 2001. How do diversified military
tasks fit into the requirements stipulated for the PLA?
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