Tensions between China, the US, and Taiwan have risen following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The topic of China's ability to seize the island in a D-Day-like amphibious invasion has been brought up again.
There is no evidence that a surprise invasion is imminent. In the lead-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the time and effort required to assemble an adequate force was obvious.
China's military has devoted a lot of effort to improve its ability to undertake such a campaign.
The PLANMC has more than doubled in size since the beginning of the year. Key findings from a study on the organization, mission, and methods of China's Marine Corps will be reviewed in this article.
The PLANMC was formed from the 85th Division. The Nationalist landing force was repelled by a company of this division.
After fighting with Vietnam, two new Marine brigades were formed in 1980 and 1998. The personnel were stationed at Zhanjiang to support the South China Sea Fleet.
More than 30,000 personnel were added to the PLANMC as a result of the reorganization of the Chinese military. These were supported by special forces brigades.
The Ground Force's amphibious combined-arms brigades field twice as many heavy mechanized battalions and have more fire support. You can read more about the amphibious units in this study.
Anti-piracy and crisis-response roles in the Pacific and Indian oceans are some of the skills the Navy Marine brigades focus on. A marine battalion is stationed at China's only oversea military base in Djibouti, and this will likely feature in future PLAN, amphibious strike groups built aroundType .
Chinese marines rescue foreign nationals from a Middle Eastern country in a movie.
The PLANMC brigade has two Amphibious Mechanized battalions, each with 56 tracked amphibious carriers and ZTD-5 assault guns that can swim from ship to shore. The US Marines AAV-7 carriers max out at 8 mph on water.
The ZBDs are capable of carrying eight infantrymen and are armed with two anti-tank missiles. 105mm guns can be used against tanks and strongpoints.
A fire support company, a platoon, and an engineering section are included in each battalion.
The Marine brigades have a Light Amphibious Mechanized battalion that uses eight-wheeled ZBL-08 "Snow Leopard" infantry fighting vehicles, ZTL-11 assault guns, and four-wheeledCS/VP4 Lynx all-terrain vehicles. After the tracked battalions secure a beachhead, these can swim to shore, but at a slower pace.
An air assault battalion and a reconnaissance battalion should be included in every brigade.
Each brigade has an air-defense battalion that can use man-portable missiles and towed anti-aircraft guns for air defense. When transiting, these can be deployed on the shipdeck.
The six Marine infantry brigades aren't standardized like the above organization would lead you to believe. A full complement of armored vehicles is not present in newly converted brigades.
The PLANMC could only deploy six amphibious mechanized battalions. Many battalion command staff are unfamiliar with the capabilities of their units and there is an emphasis on improving battalion-level leadership.
The new Aviation brigade had a mix of Z-8 and Z-9 helicopter in two squadrons, which were based on French Super Frelon and Dauphin helicopter. The unit does not have attack helicopters for escort, but it has trained for ship-board operations from Chinese amphibious ships.
The Z-20 transport helicopter, which is based on the US Black Hawk, is being integrated.
The Seventh brigade is a special forces unit that is trained in demolitions, target reconaissance, and sabotage. By helicopter, parachute, submarine, and inflatable raft it can be deployed. They have been deployed in China's anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Africa and in Yemen for foreign nationals.
The PLANMC would be involved in the JILC.
It would be a high-risk endeavor and far from Beijing's preferred approach to dealing with Taiwan. It's thePLA's job to make sure that option is legit.
The ground forces' amphibious brigades are specifically equipped for a JILC contingency, but PLANMC brigades don't have that. Kennedy thinks PLANMC units would be assigned secondary landing areas to force defending forces into a passive position and complicate their ability to mass force against the heavier landing forces in the primary landing areas.
Marine amphibious and airborne forces were not able to conquer Taiwan by themselves. The beachheads and port facilities would have to be seized and held by non-amphibious PLA forces.
Kennedy said that the JILC would play out in 3 phases.
In the preliminary ops phase, small PLA units would identify safe landing zones, clear mines and obstacles, and target key defensive infrastructure, including command-and-control hubs, ammunition depots, observation posts, and individual ships inside them.
The core function of the special forces brigade is amphibious raids, which can be conducted by PLANMC reconnaissance battalions.
PLANMC units may raid the wrong beaches in order to misdirect defensive efforts and sow confusion.
The Assembly, Embarkation, Transit phase will be complicated by the lack of sealift to move all of its amphibious forces at once.
The PLANMC could also embark on sea voyages to ease the log jam. PLANMC units are capable of launching amphibious vehicles from cargo vessels.
PLANMC units would be vulnerable to medium-to-high altitude air and missile attacks and would rely on shore-based defenses for protection.
Kennedy said the assault landing/ beachhead establishment phase would involve five to seven waves. The entire brigade would occupy 2 to 4 kilometers on the beachfront.
In the first wave, combat engineers accompanied by amphibious breaching vehicles used line-cable charges to clear corridors through minefields.
escorting ZTD-05 amphibious tanks would provide covering fire and plaster defensive positions with 105mm shells, which could be used to hit pre-supplied targets in low-visibility conditions.
The infantry companies would follow in waves two and three.
PLANMC units remained in the thick of the action even with a beachhead secured. Taiwan's extensive road infrastructure makes it possible for the light mechanized battalions to advance quickly inland.
PLANMC air- assault battalions could be used to put troops behind enemy lines. An open landing zone of 1 to 2 square kilometers is required for a single wave of five or six Z-8J helicopter.
The PLANMC units have been trained to use more weaponry. This would include towed howitzers, type 81 forty-barrel 122mm multiple-rocket launcher trucks, and lightweight FHJ-02 seven barrel 62mm multiple rocket system. PLANMC units are studying urban combat ops, unavoidable in a seizure of Taiwan, and are integrating non-amphibiousType 15 light tanks into their organization.
China's new-pattern marine brigades seem designed to offer a flexible toolkit of capabilities, rather than provide maximal firepower for a Taiwan assault. A PLANMC commandant once said that these units were more of a strategic dagger than a broadsword.
The PLANMC's special forces units would be very effective in a JILC operation. The mechanized and airborne battalions could be used for smaller-scale air/sea landings to capture sensitive rear-area positions.
Sébastien Roblin writes on the technical, historical and political aspects of international security and conflict for publications such as The National Interest, NBC News, Forbes.com and War is Boring. He was a member of the Peace Corps in China. His articles can be found on the social networking site.
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