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

should also help improve China’s military logistics
over time, and continue to feed innovation and adaptation
of new and improve logistics systems and practices
into the military, as occurs in other countries.
Development of the PLA’s ability to globally project
force has made a good start with the Gulf of Aden
mission. We should expect China to build on this to
develop greater capacity for offshore operations and
to protect national interests around the world. Longdistance
logistics support will require foreign port access
for replenishment, which we can expect China to
continue to advance.
Foreign basing of Chinese military forces may become
more feasible and attractive, even necessary, as
China’s power and global interests grow. Its continued
participation in international efforts to stabilize
lawless areas and trouble spots may help promote its
self-image as a peaceful and responsible actor, which
could dampen criticism and fear of Chinese military
deployment. For the near term, however, China is
more likely to continue to develop worldwide commercialized
“basing” options through the expansion
of China’s commercial operations in existing and new
ports and other commercial nodes around the world.
However, potential disruptions to the military
modernization trend line arising from instability within
China should not be discounted. Domestic instability
and the potential reaction of the Party to preserve
its authority and to promote stability, to include using
the PLA, remain wild cards overhanging the pace and
scope of military reform, including logistics, in the
near future.
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