Diversified Military Tasks

It is the collective term of the tasks undertaken by the Chinese People's Liberation Army with the focus on winning local wars under the conditions of informatization, including safeguarding the security of territories, territorial seas and airspace, safeguarding the rights and interests of oceans, space and cyber electromagnetic space, maintaining domestic social stability, and participating in international peacekeeping, international anti-terrorism, international humanitarian relief, as well as emergency rescue and disaster relief, etc. With the development of the times and changes in the national security environment, the functional mission of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is constantly expanding. Since the 21st century, China has faced diverse and complex security threats and challenges. Survival security issues and development security issues, traditional security threats and non-traditional security threats are intertwined. The tasks of maintaining national unity, territorial integrity, and development interests are arduous. Some countries frequently create regional tensions. The threat of “three force” of terrorism, separatism and extremism rises. “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and their separatist activities are still the biggest threat to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. The country's overseas interest security risks rise.

Faced with a complex and ever-changing security environment, the Report of the 17th CPC National Congress proposed to implement the military strategic guidelines of the new era, prepare for military struggles, improve the army’s ability to respond to multiple security threats, complete diverse military tasks, and resolutely maintain national sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, contributing to the maintenance of world peace. The Report of the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 further emphasized the need to “improve the ability to complete diversified military missions with winning local wars under the conditions of informationization as the core”. The fundamental task of the Chinese armed forces is to consolidate national defense, resist aggression, defend the motherland, safeguard the reunification of the motherland, maintain social stability and national political security, and guarantee the people’s peace and contentment. The diversified employment of Chinese armed forces adheres to following the core national security needs, and focuses on maintaining peace, curbing crises and winning wars, responding to and resolutely stopping all provocative actions that endanger national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, resolutely safeguarding the national core interests, and guaranteeing the country's peaceful development.

Diversified military missions include combat operations and non-war military operations, of which combat operations are the basic method of military power employment, while non-war military operations are an important method of military power employment under the new situation. The White Paper on “Diversified Employment of Chinese Armed Forces” clarifies the content of diversified military tasks: Firstly, to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, that is, to protect border and coastal defense security, and air defense security, maintain combat readiness in a state of always being on the alert, and carry out actual combat exercises and drills. Secondly, to ensure the national economic and social development, that is, to participate in national construction, including assistance in the construction of key infrastructure projects, participation in ecological construction and environmental protection, poverty alleviation and support for new rural construction, support for science, technology, education, cultural and health undertakings, participation in emergency rescue and disaster relief, maintenance of social stability, safeguarding marine rights and interests, and safeguarding overseas interests. Thirdly, to maintain world peace and regional stability, that is, to participate in UN peacekeeping operations, international disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, maintaining the safety of international maritime passages, and joint training of Chinese and foreign troops. Effectively responding to multiple security threats and completing diversified military tasks means to focus on fully fulfilling the historical mission of the army in the new stage of new century, resolutely safeguard the Party's leadership and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, take enhancing the ability to win local wars under the conditions of informatization as the core, and improve the ability to maintain the security of the ocean, space, electromagnetic space and perform counter-terrorism and stability maintenance, emergency rescue, international peacekeeping missions.

At the same time, take non-war military operations as an important method for the employment of national military power, and scientifically plan and implement capacity building for non-war military operations. Participate in international security cooperation, carry out various forms of military exchanges, and promote the establishment of a military mutual trust mechanism. The new understanding of the army’s functions, goals, and tasks under the new situation has opened up a new realm of the Party’s military guiding theory, which is of great significance to expanding the horizons in national security strategies and military strategies, basing on winning local wars under the conditions of informatization, and actively planning for the employment of armed forces in peacetime.