(MENAFN- IANS) By Sanjeev Sharma
New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) The Peoples Liberation army (PLA) evolving capabilities and concepts continue to strengthen Chinas ability to "fight and win wars" against a "strong enemy" , a likely euphemism for the US, coerce Taiwan and rival claimants in territorial disputes, counter an intervention by a third party in a conflict along the Beijing's periphery, and project power globally, according to a report by the US Department of Defense.
With a force that totals approximately two million personnel in the regular forces, the PLA has sought to modernise its capabilities and improve its proficiencies across all warfare domains so that as a joint force it can conduct the range of land, air, and maritime operations as well as space, counterspace, electronic warfare (EW), and cyber operations, the report said.
The PLA has approximately 975,000 active duty personnel in combat units. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, border clashes with India, and other significant events in 2020, the PLA accelerated its training and fielding of equipment from the already fast pace of recent years, the report said.
The PLA also strove to increase the realism of its training and the effectiveness of Opposition Force (OPFOR) units.
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has numerically the largest navy in the world with an overall battle force of approximately 355 ships and submarines, including approximately more than 145 major surface combatants.
As of 2020, the PLAN is largely composed of modern multi-role platforms. In the near-term, the PLAN will have the capability to conduct long-range precision strikes against land targets from its submarine and surface combatants using land-attack cruise missiles, notably enhancing the China's global power projection capabilities.
The country is enhancing its anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities and competencies to protect the PLAN's aircraft carriers and ballistic missile submarines.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and PLAN Aviation together constitute the largest aviation force in the region and the third largest in the world, with over 2,800 total aircraft (not including trainer variants or UAVs) of which approximately 2,250 are combat aircraft (including fighters, strategic bombers, tactical bombers, multi-mission tactical, and attack aircraft), according to the report.
In October 2019, China signaled the return of the airborne leg of its nuclear triad after the PLAAF publicly revealed the H-6N as its first nuclear-capable air-to-air refuelable bomber, it added
(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at )
--IANS
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