Eli Tirk
@eli-tirk.bsky.social
Senior Researcher at Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute. Opinions are my own.
I’m sure the PLA still wastes time painting rocks (they love this) and reciting lines of Xi Jinping thought on public sanitation or whatever. It’s just that as an organization, their shifting priorities have had some impact on how units do this one aspect of political work.
October 1, 2025 at 2:54 PM
I’m sure the PLA still wastes time painting rocks (they love this) and reciting lines of Xi Jinping thought on public sanitation or whatever. It’s just that as an organization, their shifting priorities have had some impact on how units do this one aspect of political work.
Plus, political officers are more and more expected to be both Red and Expert. Due to career options or promotion criteria, more political officers are staying more familiar with military ops than before, so it’s not like they’re going to say commander do an impossible task I’m overruling you.
October 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Plus, political officers are more and more expected to be both Red and Expert. Due to career options or promotion criteria, more political officers are staying more familiar with military ops than before, so it’s not like they’re going to say commander do an impossible task I’m overruling you.
PLA regulations outline a division of labor between political officers and military commanders responsibility. I’m sure the system isn’t perfect, but they are expected to stay in their lanes. apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA...
apps.dtic.mil
October 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
PLA regulations outline a division of labor between political officers and military commanders responsibility. I’m sure the system isn’t perfect, but they are expected to stay in their lanes. apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA...
Plus if you think about what constitutes political work training and how they are working to make it less burdensome it’s a different situation. Political work is more than just droning on about Xi. It also includes legal affairs, CI issues, MWR, personnel management, and psyops, and some HUMINT.
October 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Plus if you think about what constitutes political work training and how they are working to make it less burdensome it’s a different situation. Political work is more than just droning on about Xi. It also includes legal affairs, CI issues, MWR, personnel management, and psyops, and some HUMINT.
OTOH I’m sure they spend time talking about how great 习近平强军思想 is when they could be on the range. However, the way they talk about integrating it into post training reviews or using it as a means to address things like the five incapables seems to indicate a desire to avoid needless interruptions.
October 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
OTOH I’m sure they spend time talking about how great 习近平强军思想 is when they could be on the range. However, the way they talk about integrating it into post training reviews or using it as a means to address things like the five incapables seems to indicate a desire to avoid needless interruptions.
This isn’t the PLA of yesteryear. First, the percentages that are out there are based on new enlisted training, not operational units usual training schedule. I imagine this isnt too crazy if your goal is brainwashing new recruits? warontherocks.com/2020/07/peop...
People Win Wars: The PLA Enlisted Force, and Other Related Matters
Editor’s Note: One of the authors of this article is protected with a pseudonym. Regular readers of War on the Rocks know that we allow this in only the
warontherocks.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This isn’t the PLA of yesteryear. First, the percentages that are out there are based on new enlisted training, not operational units usual training schedule. I imagine this isnt too crazy if your goal is brainwashing new recruits? warontherocks.com/2020/07/peop...
They’re have more conducive geography to sustaining distributed ops and maintaining redundant comms.
August 22, 2025 at 10:05 PM
They’re have more conducive geography to sustaining distributed ops and maintaining redundant comms.
This is kind of funny since the PLAAF is both experimenting with distributed operations and building a variety of types of shelters at its airfields. I feel like the PLA culturally yearns for hardened concrete and UGGs, Some airfields only have between 4-8 beefier HAS and loads of softer shelters.
August 22, 2025 at 10:05 PM
This is kind of funny since the PLAAF is both experimenting with distributed operations and building a variety of types of shelters at its airfields. I feel like the PLA culturally yearns for hardened concrete and UGGs, Some airfields only have between 4-8 beefier HAS and loads of softer shelters.
I’ve been getting good mileage out of the originals!
August 17, 2025 at 12:37 PM
I’ve been getting good mileage out of the originals!
Didn’t the Soviets/Russians also mess with early collaborative engagement capabilities on anti ship missile systems, and wasn’t that a feature component of Dance of the Vampires?
July 18, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Didn’t the Soviets/Russians also mess with early collaborative engagement capabilities on anti ship missile systems, and wasn’t that a feature component of Dance of the Vampires?
This is something that drives me nuts with all of these proposed systems. I’m all for a high low mix of munitions, but the low end stuff needs to be able to reach whatever you’re shooting at. Who would have thunk the “priority” theater necessitates munitions and platforms that have legs?
July 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
This is something that drives me nuts with all of these proposed systems. I’m all for a high low mix of munitions, but the low end stuff needs to be able to reach whatever you’re shooting at. Who would have thunk the “priority” theater necessitates munitions and platforms that have legs?
Red fume at night, Aerospace Force’s delight
May 28, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Red fume at night, Aerospace Force’s delight
In this piece we outline how the PLA thinks about employing these to support a variety of operations with redundant sensors and to support communications and data sharing. The PLA views its ability to collect, process, and disseminate information as critical. Messing with that cycle will be vital.
April 15, 2025 at 2:37 PM
In this piece we outline how the PLA thinks about employing these to support a variety of operations with redundant sensors and to support communications and data sharing. The PLA views its ability to collect, process, and disseminate information as critical. Messing with that cycle will be vital.
It would be rad to get a “AND KILL J-16s” eventually
April 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM
It would be rad to get a “AND KILL J-16s” eventually
This is great, I’m looking forward to your book!
April 1, 2025 at 4:13 PM
This is great, I’m looking forward to your book!
While it’s impossible to say from the data available how effective the TTP’s and sensors are for this first generation of fielded systems, future generations of operators will undoubtedly be more prepared to use similar systems more effectively.
December 17, 2024 at 3:12 AM
While it’s impossible to say from the data available how effective the TTP’s and sensors are for this first generation of fielded systems, future generations of operators will undoubtedly be more prepared to use similar systems more effectively.
Fielding the TB-001 in an ASW role represents an actual implementation of an unknown degree of autonomy in the air domain that has long been seen in various surface and subsurface capabilities the PLAN has fielded. This will ultimately help the PLAN be able to find and fix undersea contacts.
December 17, 2024 at 3:12 AM
Fielding the TB-001 in an ASW role represents an actual implementation of an unknown degree of autonomy in the air domain that has long been seen in various surface and subsurface capabilities the PLAN has fielded. This will ultimately help the PLAN be able to find and fix undersea contacts.
While it may be true that another submarine is the best tool to kill a submarine, the PLAN views a combined arms approach to ASW as a key approach to countering the US Navy’s asymmetric undersea advantage, and is experimenting and fielding a variety of new systems in an attempt to develop a counter.
December 17, 2024 at 3:12 AM
While it may be true that another submarine is the best tool to kill a submarine, the PLAN views a combined arms approach to ASW as a key approach to countering the US Navy’s asymmetric undersea advantage, and is experimenting and fielding a variety of new systems in an attempt to develop a counter.