The People's Liberation Army Special Operations Forces () are the special forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), excluding the paramilitary People’s Armed Police (PAP) of The People’s Republic of China. The forces intended combat role is to be rapid-response units in the event of a limited regional war under high-tech conditions. They also carry out commando, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering operations.
History
The PLA's interest in modern special warfare was first noted in the mid-1980s when it was shifting its military stance from a "people's war" to "fighting a local war under hi-tech conditions." The PLA planners believed that the next war would be a short, fast-paced conflict on the periphery rather than a total war on Chinese territory, and that conventional infantry-orientated ground forces would no longer meet their requirements. Additionally, the PLA's combat experience from the 1979 and 1980s border conflicts with Vietnam, where Vietnamese special forces caused substantial trouble to the Chinese forces, demonstrated the value of special units.
On 23 December 2008, their first publicly known mission was to accompany three Chinese warships in protecting and escorting commercial ships against Somali pirates, in cooperation with other nations as part of a UN mandate.
Special operations units
The special operations forces of PLA are under the administration of different branches of the military.
In the PLA Ground Force, each army group has its own special warfare brigade (特战旅/特战团). PLAGF Special Warfare units are similar to the US 75th Ranger Regiment in that they do not have the civil affairs and psychological warfare capabilities that the US Army Special Operations Command has.
The Chinese Naval special operations force is a sub-branch of the PLA Navy Marine Corps. Units include the Marine Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalions/Regiments (海军陆战队两栖侦查营/团) and the Jiaolong Assault Team (or Sea Dragon Commandos, 蛟龙突击队), a unit similar to US Navy SEALs and US Marine Raiders.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force has its own special operations force with airborne capability, which is a part of People's Liberation Army Airborne Corps, the Leishen (Thundergod) Commando Airborne Force (雷神突击队).
The PLA Rocket Force has a special forces unit called "Blade Commandos" (利刃突击队), it is specialized in special reconnaissance and facility protection operations. The unit can provide intelligence gathering and special protection capabilities for the Rocket Force.
The PLA Strategic Support Force also has special operations capable unit named "Counter-Terrorism Assault Unit"(战略支援部队反恐突击) in case a facility of the PLASSF is under terrorist attack.
Beijing Military Region – "Oriental Sword (东方神剑)" is a PLA Ground Force SOF unit. All 3,000 soldiers in this unit can complete all types of operations and are regarded as the elite arm of the country.
Beijing Military Region Special Forces Unit – "Arrow (响箭突击队)" is a PLA Ground Force SOF unit. Established in the early 1990s, this unit is equipped with high-tech equipment including unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles (UARVs), individual blast devices and handheld laser dazzling weapons. Every soldier from this unit must be able to run five kilometers bearing heavy equipment in under 25 minutes, complete a 400-meter obstacle course in under one minute and 45 seconds, perform 100 push-ups in a minute, and repeatedly throw grenades more than .
Guangzhou Military Region Special Forces Unit – "South Blade" or "South China Sword" (华南利剑) is a PLA Ground Force SOF unit. This unit was established in 1988 as the PLA's first special reconnaissance group. It was expanded in 2000 to become the first PLA special operations unit to be capable of air-, sea-, and land-operations, similar to U.S. Navy SEALs. Basic training for this unit includes cross-country running, climbing, swimming and shooting. The soldiers must also be familiar with operating 15 advanced technologies including GPS navigation, night vision, and photo reconnaissance.
Chengdu Military Region Special Forces Unit – Falcon (西南猎鹰, not to be confused with the Falcon Commando Unit of the PAP, see below) is a PLA Ground Force SOF unit. Established in 1992, this unit is specialized in target locating and indicating, airborne insertion, sabotage and offensive strikes, and emergency evacuation. The unit was also used by Chengdu Military Region to experiment with new advanced concept equipment and tactics, including the digitized army soldier system and high-mobility land weapon platforms.