![]() ![]() While ‘integrated operations’ were aimed at integrating all types of forces and operational domains, ‘Key Point Strikes’ was a concept related to employment of concentrated forces at a critical time against crucial targets with the aim of crippling the adversary’s war waging potential 6. In 2001, the PLA military pamphlet, ‘The Science of Campaigns’ introduced the concept of ‘integrated operations and key point strikes’ 5. It is in context of this US dominance in Space that a Chinese analyst observed, “before the troops and horses move, the satellites are already moving 4.” ![]() During Gulf War 1991, US is known to have used over 70 satellites for strategic intelligence and communications. It was at this juncture that capabilities in space were identified as key players in modern wars under high-tech conditions. A very high degree of importance was also given to command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I). It laid emphasis on joint operations, long-distance strikes and mobile operations. Post Gulf War-1991, the strategy of local wars under modern conditions, was upgraded to the concept of local wars under modern, high-tech conditions in the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) document of 1993 ‘Military Strategic Guidelines for the New Period’. Amongst other areas, Aerospace industry was also identified as one of the fields for key resource investment. This was followed by Deng Xiaoping’s Plan 863 3 also known as ‘National High-Technology Research and Development Plan’. Therefore, Chinese planners proposed the idea of local wars under modern conditions 2. Lethality of weapons had grown multi folds and ways of fighting wars had modernised. This was also the time when the world was analysing the Yom Kippur war, the Falklands war and also the Vietnam War. This also helped them set limited goals and develop weapons specific to a localised conflict zone. This understanding of international scenario made Chinese planners focus on well defined smaller areas, generally on China’s borders. In 1985, Deng Xiaoping in his assessment of international situation observed that in future, conflicts were likely to be localised and intensive. The focus was thus on terrestrial conflict and lesser sophistication and not on a technology driven and capital intensive military space programme. Riding on the success of ‘Peoples’ War’ he felt that militia forces fighting guerrilla wars could be China’s response to two military giants i.e. In the aftermath of World War II and Korean War, Mao felt that world was on the verge of another major war 1. Though China has not released any official document on the subject, steep rise in its military space capabilities which include Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities, development of advanced launch vehicles, implementation of a successful satellite navigation programme (Beidou) and a structured counter space programme point towards its appreciated military space strategy. While the visible elements of China’s space programme include its launch vehicles, launch sites, satellite systems and Anti-Satellite (ASAT) tests, its military space strategy has never been enunciated through any official document.
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