Red Diamond December 2021 Special Edition

Introduction to Red Diamond Special Edition: China

China is a rapidly modernizing, nuclear-armed nation that harbors global ambitions and is increasingly active across the diplomatic, information, military, and economic spheres. It has become increasingly active in the Competition space, and it is rapidly developing capabilities designed to challenge the United States in the Crisis and Conflict spaces. Its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing a dramatic modernization effort that touches all elements of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF). China has become our pacing challenge.

• The Interim National Strategic Security Guidance, published in March 2021, states that China “is the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system.”
• Additionally, there is clear guidance from Army senior leaders. In June of this year, the Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN James McConville, declared that “[t]he Army must understand the threat posed by China to the same level that we understood the Soviets.”
• Then in August 2021, USARPAC Commander GEN Charles Flynn offered these comments: “I reinforce to my Theater Army team here that we are singularly responsible to the INDOPACOM Commander for the PLA Ground order of battle [OOB]... but it doesn’t change the fact that we have a long, long way to go to develop the institutional levels of knowledge, understanding, and expertise we require to address the wicked problem the threat poses for the Nation.”

This issue of the Red Diamond presents articles and content focused on China. The majority of the content stems from existing TRADOC G-2 products, including the Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 7-100.3: Chinese Tactics and The Operational Environment (2021-2030): Great Power Competition, Crisis, and Conflict. Our goal is to make this content widely accessible to the Force. TRADOC G-2’s role in understanding China is to develop content that enables soldiers at all echelons to gain the greatest possible understanding of the threat across Competition, Crisis, and Conflict. Please reach out to let us know how our offerings help you or if you need something you have not found. What you need may be coming soon as we have several projects in development.

Figure 1 (below) comes from TRADOC G-2’s leader professional development presentation on the China ATP, which highlights China’s concept of what it means to be a world class military. According to the 2019 Chinese Defense White Paper, the goals of China’s National Defense are to create a mechanized force by 2020, a fully modernized military by 2035, and a “world class” military by 2050. The slide lists the ways in which China is modeling the PLA after best practices of both the United States and Russia, while also being innovative and implementing its own unique ideas. Note, for example, the symbol on the left of the slide, which is the unit crest for the PLA Strategic Support Forces (SSF). The SSF is a unique force created by China to implement information operations, cyber-attacks, space and counter-space operations, and kinetic and non-kinetic electronic warfare. The creation of the SSF is just one example of China’s ability to innovate in its efforts to create a force capable of meeting its goals of becoming a world class military. (Please contact us if you would like to read our classified information paper on China’s SSF – available on JWICS.)

“The Operational Environment (2021-2030): Great Power Competition, Crisis, and Conflict is accessible at: The Operational Environment (2021-2030): Great Power Competition, Crisis, and Conflict – OE TRADOC (army.mil)

ATP 7-100.3: Chinese Tactics is accessible at: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN33195-ATP_7-100.3-000-WEB-1.pdf.

We currently offer Leader Professional Development sessions covering the content of ATP 7-100.3 on Thursdays at 1300-1500 CDT on Microsoft Teams at this link below. You can also find other related materials at the link by accessing the Files tab. https://dod.teams.microsoft.us/l/channel/19%3adod%3a9c5460eb13584c5399ccdcf565ec6e8e%40thread.skype/General?groupId=125d8eed-1932-47c2-87f1-86ee44557693&tenantId=fae6d70f-954b-4811-92b6-0530d6f84c43.