In the last few years, China has intensified its aggression toward Taiwan.
Beijing has repeatedly stated that it will bring the self-governed island under its control either through peaceful means or military action. China tells the world that it wants a peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but it has been preparing for an invasion of its neighbor.
The Chinese military is getting more powerful and advanced, but it still faces challenges in conducting such an operation. The use of special-operations forces is one of the options being explored by Chinese military strategists.
In the 1950s and 1960s, US special operators saw their earliest fighting in Korea and Vietnam, where they gained valuable experience and created many tactics, techniques and procedures for later generations.
The effectiveness and utility of special-operations forces have been demonstrated by the US's campaigns against terrorism in the Middle East. American special operators played an important role in the opening days of Afghanistan, the surgical counterterrorism campaign in Iraq, and the onslaught against the Islamic State in Iraq.
Special-operations forces are a new concept for the Chinese military.
ThePLA created larger special-operations units in the 1990s after establishing its first unit in 1988. China's military has invested more resources in these forces and is incorporating them into large-scale combined-warfare exercises.
Since at least the early 2010s, Chinese military strategists have studied other countries and their special-operations forces in order to learn from them.
The Chinese military is likely to use its special-operations forces in an operation against Taiwan in the same way that the US military uses amphibious operations.
The roles of special-operations forces in island landings are described by the Chinese.
The review states that Chinese military strategists have focused on two conflicts where special-operations forces made important contributions: the US invasion of Grenada in 1983 and the UK and Argentina fighting in the 1982 Falklands War.
The role the British Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service played in the war in the South China Sea was highlighted in a lecture by the Academy of Military Sciences.
The British invasion force arrived weeks before the two units penetrated the islands. They conducted special operations to map out the Argentine order of battle.
Most of the Argentine troops deployed to the Falklands were conscripts, and they carried out direct-action missions to degrade Argentine defenses.
For three weeks, SAS and SBS patrols learned everything they could about the terrain and Argentine forces, and passed that intel on to the British. The British special operators worked in the area after San Carlos Bay was chosen for the landings.
According to the Chinese publication, British special-operations units helped to ensure the smooth landing of British marines and paratroopers.
The role of US special operators in the invasion of Grenada in 1983 is mentioned in the Lectures on the Science of Special Operations.
The operation was a big learning experience for the US military.
The US operation was a joint one with several units having major roles. The main airfield of the island was captured by US Army Rangers with a daring low-level parachute drop, but Delta Force failed to seize a key piece of terrain, and the governor's residence was almost overrun.
The campaign taught us a lot about joint operations. The creation of US Special Operations Command was aided by reforms that led to it becoming an efficient and effective organization.
The US's quick victory in Grenada is linked to special-operations forces' success in securing government offices, TV broadcast facilities, and important infrastructure.
In a potential invasion of Taiwan, Chinese special-operations forces will likely play the same roles as their British and American counterparts. They would support the landing, air assault, or airborne operations of conventional units while sowing confusion through targeted attacks in Taiwanese supply and communication lines.
According to a 2006 publication, Chinese military strategists see special-operations units as useful during the initial stages of an invasion to pin down and scatter the enemy's operational forces by attacking and sabotaging important facilities, thereby sowing chaos and preventing an organized defense.
According to a Chinese military publication, Chinese special operators could be useful by conducting unconventional warfare and sabotage operations.
Undermining enemy communications would contribute to another SOF role described by the Chinese publications: psychological-warfare operations for disintegrating enemy resolve.
These are academic military publications. They can be used to understand how Chinese military strategists view special-operations forces and their role in a potential invasion of Taiwan.
According to the review, the publications don't give much information about the role of special-operations forces after the initial landing, which is seen as one of the biggest challenges China is likely to face in an attempt to capture Taiwan by force.
A defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran, and a graduate of the University of Baltimore, are some of the things that Stavros Atlamazoglou is.
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