The Chinese Army Needs to Fight the “Global War”

The military history has gone through the era of cold steel weapons and mechanized wars. It has now entered a new “global battlefield” era.

It has two main characteristics. First, more and more countries are focused on and engaged in military security issues. For example, there are already 43 countries involved in the war in Afghanistan. The target is a few terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, an area that covers over 250,000 square miles. Currently, there are dozens of countries from all over the world merely focused on fighting the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The other characteristic is that the whole world has become a battlefield. First, the world has been viewed as a battlefield by the U.S. In April 2003, The U.S. Air Force proposed to have a “capability for rapid global strike.” At the beginning of 2009, it announced the creation of the Global Strike Command to be able to “hit anywhere on the earth in one hour.” Second, the network warfare has made the global battlefield real for the first time. On May 21 this year, the U.S. Cyber Command officially became operational, starting global cyber attacks. The age of global cyber warfare has arrived.

In the new era of the global battlefield, our thoughts on military activities face great challenges. First, is it necessary to form military alliances? We find that more and more countries establish “alliances” to take military actions in the name of “allies” and “partners.” The Taliban fighting against Afghanistan is a prominent example. Besides NATO members, there are other nations joining the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force as “partners.” After the Cold War, nearly all of the U.S. military action overseas was made with allies or partners. China does not ally itself with any nation. We can imagine that China might find itself isolated if something does happen. Therefore, in the face of the global battlefield, China should also seek to establish some form of military alliances in order to avoid being “isolated.”

Second, is it necessary to build overseas military bases? The characteristic of the global battlefield is that it takes action on a global scale. Currently, the biggest problem is at-sea replenishment when the Chinese naval fleet enters the Indian Ocean and carries out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden. As an American ally, Japan could have relied on the U.S. military base for supplies. But why did Japan use the need for escort in the Gulf of Aden as an excuse to build its own military base in Djibouti? In fact, Japan also wants to construct its own global military action system. In this new era of the global battlefield, if the Chinese army wants to safeguard its interests abroad, it should also establish a global military “support system.”

Third, is it necessary to use military means to solve “problems”? In the history of mankind, people often turned to military action to solve many problems. Bear in mind that it does not mean military means should be the last resort. During the Korean War, the Sino-Indian War and the Vietnam War, our Chinese military decisively sent troops at the right time and solved the “problem” in our favor. In regards to Chechnya, Russia decisively took military action and prevented the separation and independence of Chechnya. Under reasonable and favorable circumstances, China’s army should also fight back against some military action that provokes and violates the sovereignty of China’s territory and territorial sea, so as to show the power of our army.

Fourth, we face the challenge of how to test the combat capability of our troops. After the Cold War, all the troops of major military powers in the world have experienced wars to a certain degree. America is the country that has involved itself in most of the wars. France, Britain and Germany have also taken part in military actions abroad. Japanese Self-Defense Forces also went abroad experiencing the smoke of war by using the justification of providing logistical support to the U.S. troops and conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden. The Indian troops often “practice” with the Pakistani army in the Kashmir region. Since the mid ‘80s, only the Chinese army has never smelled the smoke of war. Although the day-to-day military training, troop exercise, computer simulation etc. can improve the army’s combat effectiveness, these means are far different from the real thing. I think that the Chinese army should also send troops within the framework of the United Nations. In this way, the army can be strengthened in a real battle and its combat capability can be tested as well.

Facing the global battlefield, the Chinese army should shift from fighting regional wars to “global wars”. There is also a need for defending China’s interests overseas. Therefore, the Chinese army should welcome the arrival of the “global battlefield.” Next, the Chinese army should participate more in international military affairs — immerse itself in it. Again, the Chinese military should make clear its role in the global battlefield. Finally, it should be well prepared for all sorts of challenges brought by it. Along with the expansion of overseas interests, the Chinese army should have the ability to protect and maintain our country’s national interests.

(The author is a professor at the National Defense University.)