Tag: Warfare

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126: Understanding China Better

 

PLA’s Strategy Textbook: Science of Military Strategy (SMS)

China has two premier institutes – the Academy of Military Sciences (AMS) and National Defence University (NDU). Over the last three decades, they have produced several editions of the publication titled Science of Military Strategy (SMS). SMS is the core textbook for senior PLA officers on how wars should be planned and conducted at the strategic level. The publication is considered to be a doctrinal teaching material and it provides a glimpse into the Chinese military thinking.

 

In August 2020, the latest version of SMS, influenced by structural military reforms adopted under Xi was published. The 2020 version as compared to the previous one of 2017 has some new additions. These include wartime political work, “intelligentisation” concepts, China’s military strategic guidelines, major war operations, joint logistics and the People’s Armed Police. The changes have been justified as necessity in order to “better adapt to the major trend in the form of warfare shifting from informationisation to intelligentisation.

 

The SMS is a 450 page document, divided into three parts with 24 chapters. The first part consists of general abstractions on strategic theory, planning, evaluation, and related topics. The second part covers special topics on strategic warfare, including crisis management and prevention, deterrence, war control, and operational guidance; it also includes chapters on military operations other than war and overseas operations. The third focuses on force development for each of the traditional services (army, navy, air force and rocket force), as well as space and cyber forces, the People’s Armed Police (PAP) and reserve forces.

Key Changes in the 2020 Version

 

Continue reading “126: Understanding China Better”

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124: Grey Zone Operations or Conflicts

 

Definition. 

Grey Zone conflicts also referred as shadow wars have been defined in many ways.

 

They are not formal or traditional conflicts or full scale wars between nations or states. 

 

 Grey zone operations or conflicts fall somewhere in between the peace-conflict continuum.

 

Two major characteristics of Grey Zone conflicts are that the threshold is maintained below the level of full scale war, and second that, the means of operations are not restricted to military actions. Variety of instruments of power, often asymmetric and ambiguous in character are used to achieve the objectives.

 

Means.

Grey zone conflicts focus on the weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of countries being addressed.

 

The vulnerabilities could include weak economic conditions, internal disparities, ethnic alignments and religious polarisation etc.

 

Based on these vulnerabilities, local population, disillusioned elements or even the diaspora could be exploited.

 

The grey zone activities could be in the domain of politics, economy, social movements, diplomacy, cyber, space, information, psychological and / or communications.

 

Characteristics.

Grey Zone operations are generally sub-conventional in nature employing irregular means.

 

They could be overt or covert, carried out by proxy players or non-state actors.

 

They generally have a high degree of ambiguity and deniability.

 

Invariably they are conducted in multiple domains, maybe using both kinetic and non-kinetic modes simultaneously.

 

They generally include the nuances of other classifications of hostile actions like no war no peace, hybrid operation, asymmetric and sub conventional warfare etc.

 

Comparison and Differentiation.

Grey zone conflicts, no war no peace operations and hybrid warfare are terms used by security analysts and academics to describe prevailing hostile conditions between two countries.

 

No war no peace (NWNP) operations also fall in the same zone as grey zone conflict, but NWNP operations are generally referred to military actions whereas, grey zone activities could be in any of the numerous domains mentioned above.

 

Grey zone conflicts and hybrid warfare are other two terms which could be confusing. Grey zone is an operational environment encompassing the space between peace and war, whereas, hybrid warfare refers to the threats that are exploited in multiple domains. These threats could be employed either in full-fledged open war or in Grey-Zone conflict situations.

 

Grey-Zone conflict and hybrid means are not independent of each other, they are intricately linked to each other.

 

Value additions and comments are most welcome

 

coming up: Various aspects of grey zone operations

 

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105: Technology & Warfare Quotes: Lessons

1

Victory smiles upon those who anticipate the changes in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after the changes occur.

 

– Giulio Douhet

 

Change before the warfare changes or rather – 

BE THE CHANGE

 

2

It may be said that warfare has acquired a new phase – technological war. In the past, research and development were only preparation for the final and decisive testing of new systems in battle. Today the kind and quality of systems which a nation develops can decide the battle in advance and make the final conflict a mere formality or can bypass conflict altogether.

 

– Gen Bernard Schriever

 

Harness future technology for military use –

NOW

 

3

New conditions require, new solutions new weapons and imaginative methods for maximum application. New Wars are never won in the past.

 

– Douglas MacArthur

 

IDEATE, IDEATE and IDEATE – preferably

OUT OF THE BOX

 

4

An air force is always verging on obsolescence and, in time of peace, its size and replacement rate will always be inadequate to meet the full demands of war. Military air power should, therefore, be measured to a large extent by the ability of the existing air force to absorb in time of emergency the increased requirements of the war together with new ideas and techniques.

 

– Hap Arnold

 

Have a plan A &  have a plan B – More  important

HAVE A OPEN MIND FOR PLAN C

 

5

In military systems, the second step in the development of a radically new concept must be determined after operational deployment. The war fighters will use the system in innovative ways not described in the manuals, and it is this experience that will define the path to revolution.

 

– USAF Scientific Advisory Board

 

Fastest Way to operationalize a weapon or system is – 

Operational Deployment in LIVE EXERCISE

 

Value additions are most  welcome

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