Chia Shimin and James Char
On 19 April 2024, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) underwent a major reorganisation. The PLA Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) was disbanded and replaced by a new PLA Information Support Force (PLAISF). Various other constituents of the now-defunct PLASSF have been subordinated under the Central Military Commission. The latest streamlining of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) armed wing underscores the regime’s efforts to adapt to new trends in military modernisation.
The new PLAISF has also been elevated to ‘deputy theatre command’ grade — a higher status than its previous designation as the old Information Communications Base under the PLASSF. Broadly speaking, the PLAISF is responsible for the PLA’s operations in the information domain, which includes strategising data and information security as the Chinese military shifts towards a network-centric force. This reform shows the growing attention placed on modern warfare in the cyber, space and information domains in the CCP’s restructuring of the PLA.
An informatised military refers to how the various service branches and theatre commands would collect and share data with one another, as the PLA also strives towards intelligentisation. This serves as yet another testament to the PLA’s continuous efforts to adapt to an already heavily informatised operational environment — as the world’s leading militaries prepare for ‘intelligentised warfare’ on the horizon.
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