China's nuclear command, control and operations

The issues of China's nuclear command, control and operationsare a secret dominion and lack serious discussions due to thedearth of available literature. In this article, the authorargues that China's command, control and communications systemssuffer technological problems, despite the efforts being made.Owing to technological progress, China's strategic and tacticalnuclear targetting plans are versatile, but its current strikingcapability is insufficient. The potential use of tactical nuclearweapons, which China has been developing for decades, couldcontradict China's no first use commitment. In a nutshell, theauthor is convinced that China's nuclear posture is more aggressivethan its oft-cited policies, and the Chinese are constantlypreparing for a more offensive nuclear posture against othernuclear powers, although China's nuclear operational capabilityis still far behind. Received for publication October 5, 2005. Accepted for publication March 1, 2006.     

Jiang Zemin's military thought and legacy

Nearly for 15 years as the Chairman of China's Central MilitaryCommission, Jiang Zemin, albeit lack of real military experience,has gradually developed his military theories and principlesin the process of consolidating military authority. Unquestionably,Jiang is not only the core of the third generation leadershipin China, but also the most powerful man in China's militaryuntil now. That makes researchers interested in exploring militarythought of this man controlling the largest armies in the world.In this paper, Jiang's basic military framework, ‘FiveSentences’, including ‘Politically Qualified’,‘Militarily Tough’, ‘Attitudinally Excellent’,‘Strictly Disciplined’ and ‘Materially Guaranteed’will be separately discussed. With interpretations of ‘FiveSentences’, the author will thereafter provide personalcomments and analysis.