Former US army attache to Beijing Dennis J Blasko says there are several obstacles for the People's Liberation Army to overcome before it is capable of fighting a modern war in an article published in War on the Rocks, a website covering military issues based in Washington.
Blasko said the first problem is the system of how political officers are responsible for insuring the PLA's loyalty to the ruling Communist Party of China through ideological training, officer promotions, and the waging of the "three warfares" of psychological, media and legal war to maintain morale and discipline. From the perspective of Western observers, this situation violates the principle of the unity of command. Under this theory, commanders alone are authorized to make immediate tactical and operational decisions when necessary. With the current Chinese system, there may be friction between commanders and their political counterparts when a decision needs to be made.
Read the full story at Want China Times