All For Winning the Next War: The PLA Learning of RMA 2.0

PLA transformation is facilitated by the study of wars, especially since the first Iraqi war. The Ukraine war has presented the PLA an excellent opportunity to explore the future war typology it will engage. Theoretically speaking PLA transformation since the 1990s has been based on the concept of the Revolution in Military Affairs that embodies a trinity of crucial components: a suitable theoretical guideline, application of technological breakthroughs and associated force restructuring. The Ukraine war has set the PLA learning and application of RMA 2.0 to prepare for AI aided warfare and against the targeted war object, e.g., US military. This seminar will examine how the PLA has revised its war typology, restructured its force structure and tightened application of Hi-tech-IT-AI in enhancing combat readiness, especially against the possible scenarios of Sino-NATO battle-field engagement. For instance, MAD has acquired much greater emphasis in war preparation.

About the Speaker

You Ji (B.A. Peking University and Ph.D, ANU) is professor at Xian Jiaotong Liverpool University, China. He taught at the ANU and University of New South Wales for over two decades. He has authored four books, including China’s Military Transformation; and numerous journal articles: such as “The Enduring Sino-Russian Strategic Relationship of Mutual Dependence”, Journal of Contemporary China, April 2024; “China’s Techno-Economic Statecraft Amid US-China Strategic Rivalry: AI and the “New Whole-State System”, Obis, Vol. 67, No. 4, 2023; “The Chinese Naval Strategy and Force Building”, Italian Geopolitical Review, Vol. 23, No., 9, 2023; and “The Nexus of Land and Sea: The Shaper of Future Indo-Pacific Forces”, Australian Army Journal, 14/3, 2018.