Active January 2016–present Role Strategic support | Type Support Force | |
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Country People's Republic of China Allegiance Communist Party of China Branch People's Liberation Army | ||
The Strategic Support Force is the newest branch of the People's Liberation Army. It was introduced in December 2015 as part of the first wave of the People's Republic of China military reform.
Initial announcements did not provide much detail, but Yang Yujun of the Chinese Ministry of Defense described it as a combination of all support forces. Commentators speculate that it will include high-tech operations including space, cyberspace and electronic warfare operations, independent of other branches of the military. Another expert, Yin Zhuo, said that "the major mission of the PLA Strategic Support Force is to give support to the combat operations so that the PLA can gain regional advantages in the astronautic war, space war, network war and electromagnetic space war and ensure smooth operations."