Innovation is the way for China's defense

Presiding over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Aug 29, the country's top leader Xi Jinping asked the military to be more innovative in its approach to national defense in the year of a "new military revolution". The meeting, which featured military issues like strengthening national defense and preparedness, highlighted the leadership's determination to safeguard the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

China is facing a wide range of challenges in national security, especially in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity both from traditional and non-traditional threats. And resorting to military means has always been the most direct and effective way to counter threats to China's security, even if it is the last option left.

Despite China's sincere efforts to develop good relations with its Asian neighbors and offers of settling disputes through diplomatic means, some countries like Japan have chosen to take a belligerent stance and increase their military might saying "China poses a threat" to them. This has forced China to strengthen its armed forces to defend itself against external threats as well as to maintain peace in the region and beyond.

With the world witnessing what can be termed as an "emerging military revolution" in which the most advanced theories, equipment and strategies are being used, an increasing number of mechanized wars are giving way to information technology-based wars. Material strength is no longer the most important factor in warfare, because by dominating IT channels one country can paralyze another's armed forces. IT-based military strikes, as a matter of fact, are the strategic future of the armed forces.

In terms of command and control, the "flat network" in IT-based wars is better suited to strengthening the connections among different levels of the command hierarchy, compared with the "tree-like network" used in mechanized wars. Therefore, a military that outsmarts its rival in IT domination is more likely to maximize its effectiveness and have greater capability of launching rapid strikes without being detected.