China builds military logistics system ‘inspired’ by US?

On May 10, the WeChat social network account of China Central Television (CCTV) posted information about the operation of 5 Chinese military logistics support centers at 5 command posts in the Central region. West, East, South and North.

According to CCTV, These 5 units are considered armies “fast delivery”, make the transportation and delivery service of the Chinese army more professional and safe.

All of these logistics support centers have set up and built digital storage of supplies. “Digital computing and professional packaging can help avoid ‘out-of-battle casualties’. Insecure and delayed deliveries can have dire consequences in today’s war.”, CCTV let me know.

On April 28, the military newspaper PLA Daily publish information, call on the military to pay more attention to the logistics sector, consider this as “uphill battle” may affect the safety of the military.

Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Yuan Wang military science and technology research institute in Beijing, said the PLA’s professional logistics management system was inspired by the model of the High Command. Transportation (TRANSCOM) – the agency that manages the supply of supplies and coordinates logistics for US troops around the world.

The US first put this transport model into operation during the Gulf War in 1991. The Pentagon established TRANSCOM in 1987, one of 11 unified combat commands under the US Department of Defense.

Zhou Chenming said that the Chinese military has verified the effectiveness of this operational system after four years of operation. Accordingly, the logistics command unit operated by the country’s air force can mobilize 4,000 pilots from civil airlines to support the war in Iraq.

“The Americans not only won the conventional wars of the Gulf War, but also demonstrated superior logistical long-distance delivery.” According to Zhou Chenming, logistics is Russia’s weak point in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The PLA established a joint logistics support force in 2016, replacing the previous General Administration of Logistics. The force is headquartered in the transportation and industrial hub of Wuhan, and facilities in four regions of China have their own supply hubs, connected to the highway and railway systems.

Hong Kong-based military observer Liang Guoliang said that the Chinese military had learned a lesson from the Korean war – it would suffer serious casualties due to a weak logistical support chain.

“Beijing has invested a lot to perfect its logistics supply system, while the ongoing Ukraine war has also provided the Chinese military with a lot of reference points.” expert Liang Guoliang said.

In October 2017, the Chinese military also signed contracts with five civilian logistics companies – SF Express, China Railway Express, China Post Express, Deppon Logistics and Jingdong Logistics.

Meanwhile, Ni Lexiong, a professor of Law and Political Science at Shanghai University, said China would still use the military to focus on arms transfers and let civilian companies take care of the issues. items such as clothing and medical supplies.

“But the PLA logistics support force is mainly focused on domestic transportation. This shows that there is still a huge gap to catch up with the US, which is already dominant in global aviation.”expert Ni Lexiong said.