It's actually a pretty professional following posture. I bet it will turn around and look behind when the keeper stops.
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Almost all special operations brigades will be disbanded, and the reorganization plan has not clear yet
One guess is to return to the organization before the 2016 military reform, with hundred commandos & elite unit from each SF brigade forming into one SF units for each theater.
One guess is to return to the organization before the 2016 military reform, with hundred commandos & elite unit from each SF brigade forming into one SF units for each theater.
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Why the disbanding? What's the operational/tactical advantage it'll potentially bring to the table vs the existing force structure?
Simply put, the personnel of special operations units must be special operators. After the expansion, the number of special operations brigades was too large, resulting in low efficiency and professional level, the diluted personnel level must be concentrating again.
Xi got mad after reading our forum posts…
Oh seriously note military reform is an iterative process. They tried something, didn’t work as well as they anticipated, so they are trying a different approach to see if it works better.
Correction: It is to return to the number before the SF expansion in 2012, and it is possible that 14 brigades will be reduced to 7 brigades
US special forces are also experiencing the same thing, SF from Army and the Marine are facing resource cuts. US SF has grown because of the war on terror, but now and in the future there are not so many doors for them to kick, so there is no need to maintain such a large number of personnel and funds.
Where will the personnel go? They will compete to stay in the newly formed SF units, or go to the intelligence reconnaissance brigade under the theater, and then compete for the reconnaissance companies of other conventional brigades. Some brigades might be transferred to the Marine or Air Force Air Assault Brigade. This is a precedent - the 83rd Special Operations Brigade was actually transferred to the Marine Brigade two years ago, which is why I said that there are 14 instead of 15 SF brigades reduced by 7.
US special forces are also experiencing the same thing, SF from Army and the Marine are facing resource cuts. US SF has grown because of the war on terror, but now and in the future there are not so many doors for them to kick, so there is no need to maintain such a large number of personnel and funds.
Where will the personnel go? They will compete to stay in the newly formed SF units, or go to the intelligence reconnaissance brigade under the theater, and then compete for the reconnaissance companies of other conventional brigades. Some brigades might be transferred to the Marine or Air Force Air Assault Brigade. This is a precedent - the 83rd Special Operations Brigade was actually transferred to the Marine Brigade two years ago, which is why I said that there are 14 instead of 15 SF brigades reduced by 7.
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“Profession”
I think the current special operations brigade really becoming more like an light brigade where everyone can parachute and dive.
The older generation is more like the past Korean War, operating behind enemy lines.(Video from 1988 64 GA 15th RC battery observation and prisoner capture mission after control line 7km penetration）
Or like the American MACV-SOG
i was under the impression that chinese SF units are made up of 2 year volunteers ("conscripts" dosn't sound right). Are they contracted? if so that seems to be a lot of people, especially for peace time.
This could also be an effort to redistribute SOF — though perhaps more precisely SOF trained/qualified/capable light infantry — to lower echelons where they could potentially serve as force multipliers (e.g. JTAC) within conventional combat arms brigades.
This might actually be more practical than keeping all existing SOF brigades intact as group army or theater level assets, especially if these brigades are not adequately distinguishable from elite light infantry formations.
Will any of the personnel from the disbanded SOF brigades head to a national level SOF organization like the American JSOC or Russian KSSO, or has an analogous PLA organization yet to emerge?