China’s military mouthpiece has issued a rare warning that personnel may be insufficiently trained to operate new weapons, including unmanned systems, despite Beijing’s rapid advances in hardware.
Some military units showed a low level of integration between personnel and equipment, Monday’s PLA Daily article cautioned, highlighting limited trust in systems and weak coordination between human operators and technology.
It warned that without proper integration, “even advanced equipment may fail to deliver its operational advantages, reducing combat effectiveness and potentially leading to defeat in war”.
A series of domestically developed new weapons and equipment had been gradually distributed throughout the People’s Liberation Army, and many of the fielded weapons “are the results of new technologies, especially the widespread use of unmanned and intelligent systems”, the article said.
“Without strong technical expertise, personnel simply cannot operate them effectively – let alone achieve coordinated manned-unmanned operations.”
Weapon systems were increasingly becoming long-range, precise, intelligent, stealthy and uncrewed, and some advanced weapons had technologically broken through traditional time and space limitations, reshaping the offensive and defensive dynamics of warfare to varying degrees, the article noted.
It said that some military units had not done enough on personnel-equipment integration and some had not devoted enough effort to cultivating specialised talent.
Some units had not sufficiently studied the technical principles and combat mechanisms of new equipment, while others treated the new systems as “treasured assets” and kept them locked away rather than actively employing them.
The article did not identify which specific units had such problems, nor did it elaborate on how common the issue was believed to be.
“This serves as a warning: no matter how advanced the equipment is, if people cannot effectively operate it, it remains nothing more than cold steel,” it said, adding that how to deepen personnel and equipment integration and improve real combat effectiveness had become an “urgent practical issue” for commanders at all levels.
It urged commanders to enhance their scientific knowledge and information technology skills to meet the demands of future warfare.
“As a craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do good work, so must the military,” the article advised. It said commanders must boldly operate and use the equipment and emphasise training for complicated war environments and high-intensity conflict conditions.
Monday’s article was a rare warning for the PLA, which regularly uses state media to showcase its latest weapons used in live-fire drills – including drones, robot dogs and other unmanned systems.
China has accelerated the production, launch and fielding of new military equipment, including unmanned and intelligent equipment and systems.
President Xi Jinping, who also heads the Central Military Commission, in his 2022 report to the 20th party congress called for “speeding up the development of unmanned, intelligent combat capabilities”.
A massive military parade in Beijing on September 3 last year showcased the PLA’s new unmanned aerial, land and surface drones, as well as anti-drone systems, alongside other traditional equipment.
Experts said the featured equipment, including AI-powered uncrewed vehicles and laser weapons, signalled an arms race fuelled by scientific and technological advances.
The parade featured at least four unmanned aerial drones (UAVs), which state broadcaster CCTV said were capable of stealth strikes and autonomous coordination. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
