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

Master Sergeant James A. Roy, led the first delegation
of 12 noncommissioned officers (NCOs) from all three
services to the PRC for 5 days. 52 The delegation visited
an infantry battalion in Nanjing and an Army NCO
Ordnance School in Wuhan. Even though the U.S.
delegation was explicitly aimed at creating engagement
between U.S. and PLA enlisted personnel, most
of the PLA personnel who interacted with the American
NCOs were officers. When PACOM hosted a return
visit to Hawaii in October 2008, the 13-member
“enlisted” delegation was led by a major general and
included only three NCOs. 53 This exchange of visits
highlights the difference between the ways in which
the U.S. military and the PLA view their enlisted force.
It appears that the PLA does not have enough confidence
in its enlisted personnel to allow them much of
a role in military diplomacy.
PLA Navy Port Calls. The PLAN has actively used
foreign port calls to further the stated objectives of
military diplomacy, including “upholding territorial
integrity,” “strengthening unity and cooperation
with the militaries of developing countries,” and to
“increase exchanges with armed forces around the
world.” 54 These port calls also serve to demonstrate
the PLAN’s growing operational capabilities to the international
community.
PLA Navy port calls abroad often receive considerable
publicity in both the Chinese and foreign press.
This is in large part due to the fact that the PLAN averages
only a couple of port calls annually. Moreover,
port calls represent a departure from the PLAN’s traditional
habit of rarely venturing beyond China’s territorial
waters. PLAN port calls offer a relatively rare
opportunity for foreign navies to interact with the
PLAN and to observe its vessels.
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