Chinese Operational Art: Understanding the Present through the Lens of the Past

Abstract

Abstract : This monograph seeks to determine if China's military has a uniquely Chinese type of operational art when compared to the United States. The study asserts the importance of history, particularly China's unique philosophical and military traditions, in understanding the operational art of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The philosophical ideas present in Confucianism and Taoism bring clarity to contemporary PLA doctrine and activities. The study compares Chinese philosophical and military traditions, national strategy, and PLA doctrine to Western philosophy and U.S. Joint doctrine to reveal uniquely Chinese concepts. Case studies illustrate PLA participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, anti-piracy operations, and cyber activities to characterize Chinese operational art in practice. The study concludes that a unique type of operational art exists in the Chinese military, and demonstrates the continuing influence of China's philosophical and military traditions. Chinese operational art includes the creative combination of unconventional means (ho), the ability to alter relative positions between opposites (yin and yang), and the flexible application of forces within a situation (wu wei). These concepts underpin the asymmetric employment of task-organized combinations to bring about a position of advantage (shi). Contemporary and future PLA operations are likely to demonstrate a preference for an indirect approach; patience in decision-making and tempo; and a holistic understanding of situations, self, and enemy.