(ASK) How well trained are the pla special forces?

Officially, the PLA does not have a unified command like the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for special operations, but the Intelligence Department (2nd Department) of the PLA General Staff Department may serve as a general director for SOF and special forces warfare doctrines development. The SOF units are also believed to be closely associated with the intelligence department of the seven MRHQs.

One important move since 2003 in the PLA SOF development is that the command of the SOF units has been transferred from MRHQs to the headquarters of some group armies (GA). For example, the SOF unit of the Beijing MR is now directly organic to the headquarters of the 38th Group Army. The SOF unit of Chengdu MR is now directly organic to the 13th Group Army.

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Bltizo said:

I think this thread should be rename, How good do PLA special forces look, jeez...

I don't think we've had many PLA SOF pics for a few months, but on the CDF "PLA Infantry Gear" thread for the last few months we've seen seemingly "standard" PLA soldiers equipped with much superior equipment to previous years (goggles, body armour, boots, etc on par with wartime western soldiers)

Most of the reasons people are challenging the proficiency or training I've seen, is due to appearances, the other reasons are simply stereotypes (doctrinal challenge from the past -- wtf does that even mean? Lack of NATO/US interaction, gold standard much? Lack of depth... really??).

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Solarz, there's a good page on the PLA SOF's missions on sinodefence's SOF page.

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the PLA had a history of SOF type operations all the way back to civil war. The current SOFs we see only really emerged in the closing of the sino vietnam war, where PLA suffered some casualties from vietnamese SOFs, and they responded with their own as the conflict began to close.
The PLA ground forces' SOF seems to mostly be direct action against high intensity conflicts against other powerful, organized militaries, rather than say the role US SOFs have played in recent years acting mostly in long term, low intensity conflicts in third world countries.
The air force and navy also has their own SOFs independent from the ground forces I believe. The SOFs we're seeing that have deployed to somalia I believe are the naval SOFs, formerly PLAMC recon?

Btw, on the subject of the seven military regions each having an SOF unit and not having a "dedicated service branch" (whatever that means):

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Bltizo said:

"spearhead of attack" -- what does that even mean =__=

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kyanges said:

Going behind enemy lines to secure some objective before regular forces move in? Just guessing here.

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Bltizo said:

How is what you described for the PLA SOF different to what the US SOF would perform in a large scale war??

No. The only real differences right now is that the PLA SOF place emphasis on ops against large, powerful state militaries. US SOF on the other hand, while just as capable in that role, also focus on long endurance, low intensity combat in third world countries (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan)
"spearhead of attack" -- what does that even mean =__=

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solarz said:

What purpose does PLA special forces serve? Is it fighting Golden Triangle drug lords, as CottageLV suggested, or something else altogether? Or do they have no specific purpose and are trained in general infiltration and reconnaissance skills?

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SinoSoldier said:

I thought the equipment and training we saw already made it clear that they were clearly meant for recon and stealthy missions, not for the "shock and awe" missions that we see of others.

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paintgun said:

past doctrinal challenge as in emphasize in People's War? cheap and populist way of waging war, without investing much in training and equipment for each individual soldier, which is observable until very recent, like the VPA conflicts (up to 1989) example you bring up, China has always paid blood for blood and even more in her wars, i don't think it would like to continue to do so into the future

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Lack of NATO/US interaction, because simply they are ahead of the curve, and established the world standards, so yes gold standard as you put it, also would you give the "up to par" label if PLA had never had any exercise or joint training with a NATO country, as to even find out each other's capabilities

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"spearhead of attack" - that's one way how to put what US Marines are used for, shocktroops/spearhead, SOFs on the other hand have different misisons, though you described it as different Blitzo, the missions they undertake might be very similar, say the PLAN Marines at the Gulf of Aden have to board ships, or rescue hostages from boat (actually does anyone have news or photos of such mission undertaken, we do have news of PLAN successfully escorting ships) just as any other SOF, thus requiring a comparable level of training, skill and equipment

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CDF Infantry Gear thread is an excellent source and shows PLA regulars with some gears over the recent years, but i still find it lacking to say they are on par with NATO style armies/SOFs

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Unlike the U.S. SOF, the PLA focuses the roles of its SOF very much on direct action (DA), special reconnaissance (SR), and counter-terrorism (CT). PLA SOF units are not trained for unconventional warfare (UW) and civil affairs (CA) like their American counterparts. This is because the PLA only intends to use the SOF for a high-intensity, lightening-fast regional conflict that is over in short amount of time. They are not going to be involved in long-duration, low-intensity operations in foreign countries, like what the U.S. SOF did in Southeast Asia in the 1960s/70s.

Direct Action (DA) - The most important mission for PLA SOF, involving short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions by SOF to seize, destroy, capture, recover or inflict damage on designated personnel or material. For example, prior to the outbreak of major hostilities between the PRC and Taiwan, PLA SOF will infiltrate the Taiwan island using powered parachutes, helicopters, or other methods, and launch a pre-empty strike against key enemy personnel and command & control elements, to paralyse the enemy C3I network and leave the enemy troops leaderless. This strategy is sometimes being referred to as “Decapitation Operation”.

Other DA operations may include capturing enemy airfields and seaports for the upcoming airborne and amphibious landing troops; sabotaging enemy equipments and systems; attacking vital civilian infrastructure; ambushing enemy forces; spreading rumours to cause enemy confusion and misjudgement, etc.

Special Reconnaissance (SR) - SR involves reconnaissance and surveillance actions to obtain or verify vital intelligence and information, by using visual and other hi-tech collection methods. This is very much like what SOF units of the Coalitions Forces did during the two Gulf Wars. Small teams consisting 2~4 people will be dispatched to behind enemy lines to collect intelligence concerning the capabilities, intensions, and activities or enemy forces. It may also involve locating and designating targets for precision strikes.

Counter-Terrorism (CT) - PLA SOF units are receiving training in offensive counter-terrorism operations to prevent, deter and respond to terrorism. As a result of the growing separatist activities in China’s remote regions such as Xijiang, PLA SOF have became increasingly involved in the counter-terrorism role. In October 2002, a PLA SOF unit took part in the joint China-Tajikistan counter-terrorism exercise. A recent report by the Chinese state media also confirmed that counter-terrorism had been added to the basic Special Forces training subjects under the renewed PLA doctrines.

Other Roles - In some occasions, PLA SOF are also acting as “Blue Army” (opposing force) in exercise to test the ability of regular army unit against special forces.

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