While irregular warfare and special tactics have
been a part of Chinese military history since the era of Sun Tzu,
Modern Chinese special forces are relatively new and modeled after the Russian military.
China's first special reconnaissance group was formed in 1988,
following the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.
In comparison, the British Special Air Service was formed in 1941
and the US 10th Special Forces Group was formed in 1952.
In this video, we examine the Chinese special forces and some
of the differences in comparison with the Western counterparts.
For starters, the People's Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Communist Party of China
and all senior military officers are party members.
While Western militaries are not politically aligned,
Chinese soldiers spend about 30% of their military training learning political ideology.
Unlike Western militaries such as the US or UK where a unified command oversees
all special operations units from various branches of the military,
China's special forces does not have a unified command
and falls under the respective branches of the military and police.
In the PLA Ground Force, each of its 5 theater commands has their own special warfare unit
and each unit is brigade-size with at least 3,000 soldiers.
Special combat brigades under the PLA Ground Force are essentially
light infantry that specializes in rapid deployment in response to regional conflict.
They perform direct action and special reconnaissance missions
but do not perform civil affairs nor psychological warfare operations like the U.S special forces.
Additionally, they are also trained in counter-terrorism
although it is not their jurisdiction.
They have similar capabilities to units like the U.S Army Rangers.
The earliest unit formed in 1988 is the "South China Sword" based in Guangzhou.
In grey, are units that exist before the 2016 military reform.
It is unclear whether they have been disbanded or merged with other units.
These brigades are supported mainly by light vehicles
and helicopter units.
They are capable of insertion behind enemy lines
but not too far from friendly forces due to their lack of long-range support assets.
Under the PLA Navy is the naval special operations force known as 蛟龙突击队 based in Hainan.
Established in 2002, this unit specializes in
amphibious operations and is similar to units like the U.S Marine Raiders.
In 2017, the Jiaolong commandos recaptured
a vessel hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
The PLA Air Force has their own special forces unit based in Hubei.
The 雷神突击队 specializes in airborne operations.
Formed in 2011, this unit is very similar to units like the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV)
and the U.S Army's 82nd Airborne Division.
The special unit of the PLA Rocket Force 利刃突击队 is
tasked with reconnaissance and protection of facilities.
They perform similar roles to units like the US 90th Security Forces Group
and UK's Ministry of Defence Police tasked to protect high-value facilities.
The PLA Strategic Support Force also has a special operations unit that
protects its facilities against terrorism threats.
In NATO countries, police tactical units are not considered as SOF units.
Military units are sometimes deployed for domestic counter-terrorism operations
such as the British SAS involvement in the Iranian embassy siege.
In China, the People's Armed Police is responsible for internal security,
counter-terrorism and riot control.
Although, not under the jurisdiction of the PLA, they may provide support if needed.
Under the PAP, are multiple commando units ranging from 100-1,000 personnel per unit.
Notable differences include the Falcon Commando Unit reporting directly to the Central Military
Commission while the Mountain Eagle Commando Unit is responsible for the Xinjiang region.
These police units were tasked with security operations during key events
such as the Beijing Olympic Games.
Unlike Western militaries who usually require
soldiers to serve in regular units before special forces selection,
Chinese special forces can be seen directly enlisting recruits with no
prior military experience.
PLA special operations training is* carried out in 3 phases.
Chinese SOF units will undergo the following training.
From their training videos, we can see that these soldiers have good physical fitness.
While some units are decently equipped, others are less well-equipped.
In the U.S, regular infantry and marines are equipped with night vision
and all U.S marines are equipped with suppressors not to mention scopes.
I also find it strange the Chinese use crossbow in the 21st century.
When it comes to tactics, some are questionable.
From here, we can see a soldier throwing a grenade after clearing the room.
Whether it is a frag grenade, smoke grenade or stun grenade, what's the purpose?
I also noticed some rather interesting shooting posture.
Dangerous drills are common in the Chinese military, showing the lack of safety
regulations which could result to higher training casualties as compared to Western militaries,
although the Chinese military has been trying to improve on their safety.
While Western special forces have vast operational experience
as well as regular joint training with other countries
China's special forces have* limited operational experience from some UN missions,
some joint training with relatively lesser countries
and participation in competitions.
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