China creates three new military units in push to modernize army

Times sources, and there has been no official China’s military is set to create a new “Space Force” to strengthen its presence in low-Earth orbit.

State television showed Saturday President Xi Jinping giving military flags to the leaders of the three new units – a general command for the People’s Liberation Army, a missile force and a strategic support force.

The establishment announced Friday comprises an army leadership institution, rocket force, and strategic support troops, CCTV News reported.

Xinhua said Xi urged the new unit to “enhance nuclear deterrence and counter-strike capacity, medium- and long-range precision strike ability, as well as strategic check-and-balance capacity to build a strong and modern Rocket Force”.

China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) on Friday released guidelines on deepening national defence and military reform.

The Strategic Support Force would be responsible for hi-tech warfare in space and on the internet, the source said.

Seeking to allay concerns, Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun yesterday said China would be sticking to its “second-strike” nuclear policy as a deterrent, when asked if there would be changes with the new Rocket Force in place. “It is also a strategic measure to build modern military power system with Chinese characteristics”.

While 2015 was mainly devoted to the implementation of leadership management and joint operational command reform, the guideline said 2016 will see military cuts, improved combatant personnel and reform of military academies and armed police forces.

Under the plan, four main vertical chains – command, development, administration and supervision – will be better defined with clear lines for decision-making, planning, implementing plans and evaluating processes.

The PLA Army general command, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force were established against the backdrop of military structural reform in China.

More adjustments and improvements will be rolled out gradually from 2017 to 2020, as conditions allow, according to the guideline. Xi and PLA officers and soldiers sang the national anthem at the inauguration ceremony Thursday.

A “Rocket Force” will replace the Second Artillery Corps (SAC) in controlling the nuclear arsenal.

He called on the Strategic Support Force to leapfrog developments in key fields.