China\u2019s information warfare force, the People\u2019s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF), has a new commander. Lieutenant General Li Fengbiao has replaced General Gao Jin as the new PLASSF Commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Do We Know?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chinese state media CCTV\u00a0footage<\/a>\u00a0from the National Public Security Work Conference, held on May 7 and 8, shows Lieutenant General Li wearing the PLASSF insignia, indicating that he has been reassigned to the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further, he has been promoted up one grade, from theater command deputy leader to theater command leader, the highest grade for a military officer that is not a member of the China\u2019s supreme military body, the Central Military Commission (CMC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within the PLASSF, only its Commander and Political Commissar carry the Theater Command Leader grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lieutenant General Li (born 1959) has spent most of his 40-year long military career in the PLA Air Force Airborne Corps. His past positions include deputy commander and chief of staff, Central Theater Command (2016-2019); deputy commander, Chengdu Military Region (2014-2016); commander, 15th Airborne Corps (2011-2014); and chief of staff, 15th Airborne Corps (2007-2011).<\/p>\n\n\n\n His predecessor, General Gao Jin, has been reassigned<\/a> to head the CMC Logistics Support Department. Gao is a possible candidate for membership on the next CMC, which will be formed in late 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Is the PLASSF?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Established in late 2015, the PLASSF is China\u2019s information warfare force, responsible for conducting space, cyberspace, electromagnetic warfare, and psychological operations. It is an important step on the PLA\u2019s long journey toward integrated information operations, both for providing information support to military operations as well as for conducting information operations against adversaries, including counterspace and cyber operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The creation of the SSF highlights the importance attached to information superiority by China\u2019s military planners. It also underscores the critical nature of space and cyberspace for China\u2019s military power and national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adam Ni is a China researcher at Macquarie University. His areas of interest include China\u2019s foreign and security policy. Find him on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@adam_ni<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n