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

Zhang Zhaoyin, deputy group army commander,
Chengdu MR, argues that the PLA should use missions
other than war to increase warfighting capabilities.
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PLA(N) Assessments.
On May 25-27, 2009 the PLAN used the occasion of
the first group’s return to convene a high-level conference
to assess the mission. Admiral Wu Shengli, PLAN
Commander, proclaimed it a success, which “rendered
a satisfactory answer to the party and the people, and
won extensive praise at home and abroad.” He stated
that such missions should become “a routine function
of the navy,” and called for “further raising the
Navy’s capability of performing missions in the open
ocean.” 148
China is attaining a new level of blue-water experience
with a mission that requires rapid response,
underway replenishment, on-station informationsharing,
and calls in foreign ports to take on supplies
and engage in diplomacy. Sending an 800-member
crew surface action group five time zones away, with
70 special forces embarked and combat contingencies
possible, presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities.
149 PLAN personnel continue to learn new
techniques, test their equipment, and can be expected
to advocate improvements upon their return.
This is likely to catalyze breakthroughs in logistics,
intelligence, and communications. Such routine
operations as at-sea replenishment will allow Chinese
sailors to develop best practices for use in future operations.
According to a “Professor Zhang” at China’s
National Defense University, reportedly a senior
PLAN figure, “It is also a very good opportunity to
rehearse sea rescue tasks and telecommunication with
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