People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force

Network Systems Department

The PLASSF Network Systems Department [zh] (NSD) is the integration of all PLA information and cyberwarfare capabilities and is believed to have taken over many of the capabilities previously held by the Third and Fourth Departments of the PLA. As of 2018 it was headed by Lieutenant General Zheng Junjie, with Lieutenant General Chai Shaoling as political commissar, both of whom are also serving members of the 13th National People's Congress.

• APT 1": Stationed in the Pudong District of Shanghai, Unit 61398 is rumored to be a secret
  military hacker unit within the Second Bureau of the CMC Political Department. Though it is recognized by the U.S. Government, its existence has been repeatedly denied by the Chinese Government.
• Unit 61486 (中國人民解放軍61486部隊) / "Putter Panda": Unit 61486 was the designation for the Twelfth Bureau of the CMC Political Department that was caught committing cyber espionage on American, European, and Japanese aerospace companies with the intention to steal secrets.
• Unit 61726 (中國人民解放軍61726部隊) / "Sixth Bureau" (中國人民解放軍總參謀部第三部第六局的代號): Stationed in the
  Panlong District of Kunming City in Yunnan Province.^[17] It is suspected that the Nanchang detachment is a training detachment. The sixth bureau is also suspected to be embedded in the National Cyber Security College of Wuhan University and its associated research centers and laboratories.^[18]
• Unit 61786 (中国人民解放军61786部队) / "Eighth Bureau" (八局): Stationed at the foot of the Yan Mountain range, this is an information technology research institute responsible for intercepting communications from Russia and Central Asia.^[19] In 2011, it was commended as the most talented development unit in the PLA.
• NSD 56th Research Institute (第56研究所) / Jiangnan Institute of Computing Technology (江南计算技术研究所): Stationed in Wuxi City in the Jiangsu Province. Founded in June 1951, it was the first computer science and engineering research institute for the PLA. They also conduct research on network systems and communications, information assurance and cybersecurity. This is the home to China's first supercomputer, its first GHz computer, and its first 100 GHz computer. By the 2010s, the institute became the computing powerhouse of the PLA, with automated PCB production lines, CAD software development, a research library and full scale living facilities. As of 2016 the institute employs more than 200 Senior Engineers along with graduate and doctoral students from all over China.
• NSD 58th Research Institute (中国人民解放军战略支援部队第五十八研究所) - stationed in Beijing.
• PLA 316th Hospital (中国人民解放军第三一六医院) - stationed in Beijing.

List of military bases under the NSD:^[20]

• Notional Base 31, Nanjing
• Notional Base 32, Guangzhou
• Notional Base 33, Chengdu
• Notional Base 34, Shenyang
• Notional Base 36, Beijing
• Notional Base 38, Kaifeng

Directly subordinate units

• SSF Electronic Countermeasures Brigade (电子对抗旅)Little is known about this unit.

• PLA Strategic Support Force Special Medical Center (中国人民解放军战略支援部队特色医学中心)

Stationed at No. 9 Anxiang Beili, Deshengmen Wai, Chaoyang District of Beijing, it was founded in 1971 as the 514th Hospital of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. In 1997, it became the General Hospital of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. In March 1999, it was redesignated as the 306th PLA Hospital. After the 2015 reforms, the Strategic Support Force assumed authority over this hospital. The hospital Dean is Major General Gu Jianwen and its Political Commissar is Major General Zhang Yucai.^{[citation needed]}

• Unit 61716 - People's Liberation Army Base 311 (中国人民解放军三一一基地)Stationed at No. 15 Yuandang Street, Baima North Road in the Gulou District of Fuzhou in the Fujian Province, the Trinity Base was founded in 2005 under the control of the PLA Political Department to conduct "three warfares" operations against Taiwan.^[21] The "three warfares" are "Public Opinion Warfare, Psychological Warfare, and Legal Warfare." In 2011, the base was designated as the focal point of all psychological warfare efforts against Taiwan, including assisting in broadcasting propaganda programs thru the Chinese radio stations like Huayi Broadcasting (中国华艺广播公司) and Voice of the Strait. The base itself is also on social media.^[21] In 2016, PLASSF assumed control of the base. The base is under the direction of Political Commissar, Major General Mei Huabo.^[22]

PLASSF universities

• PLASSF Aerospace Engineering University: Located in Beijing, under the leadership and management of the Space Systems Department, the university was founded in June 1978 as a "Cadre School" under the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. In 1982, the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense assumed authority over the school, and, in 1986, upgraded the school to Command and Technology College. In 1999, the PLA General Armaments department assumed authority and renamed the school to Chinese PLA Equipment Command and Technology Academy. It remained this way until 2011, when the name was shortened to Equipment Academy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In 2016, as part of the military reforms, the academy was transferred to the Training Management Division of the Central Military Commission, where it was rebuilt into the Aerospace Engineering University under the Strategic Support Force. Today, the university has more than 20 undergraduate majors, 12 graduate programs, 5 doctoral programs, and 3 post-doctoral research stations. The Dean is Major General Zhou Zhixin and the Political Commissar is Major General Ji Duo.^{[citation needed]}
• PLASSF Information Engineering University: Located in the cities of Zhengzhou and Luoyang in Henan Province, under the leadership and management of the Network Systems Department, the school was founded in October 1971 by the 5th Radio Engineering Brigade of the PLA 1st Foreign Language School into the Chinese PLA Institute of Engineering and Technology in Zhangzhou.^[20] In January 1981, the Chinese PLA Luoyang University of Foreign Languages Department of Applied Mathematics and Department of Information Processing were transferred to the Institute of Engineering and Technology. In July 1986, the name was change to the Chinese PLA Information Engineering Institute. In June 1991, CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin wrote the following inscription for the school: "Promote the school spirit of strict diligence, unity and dedication, and establish a distinctive and high-level key science and engineering military academy." In 1995, it was identified by the Central Military Commission as one of the 17 key construction academies of the PLA. The following institutes are subordinate to IEU:
  • S&T Research Department (科研部)
  • Training Department (训练部)
  • Command Information Systems Academy (指挥信息系统学院)
  • Electronic Technology Academy (电子技术学院)
  • Encryption Engineering Academy (密码工程学院)
  • Foreign Language Academy (外国语学院) in Luoyang
  • Geospatial Information Academy (地理空间信息学院)
  • Cyberspace Security Academy (网络空间安全学院)
  • Navigation and Aerospace Target Engineering Academy (导航与空天目标工程学院)
  • Command Officer Basic Education Academy (指挥军官基础教育学院)
  • Blockchain Academy (区块链研究院; located in Shenzhen)

As for the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, they are tasked with conducting launch monitoring, tracking and measurement, as well as launch recovery.

Unit 63790 - 27th Experimental Training Base / Xichang Satellite Launch Center

Headquartered on the Hangtian North Road of

Unit 63880 - 33rd Experimental Training Base / Luoyang Electronic Equipment Test Center

Stationed at

• China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center (29th Testing and Training Base)
• Space Telemetry, Tracking, and Control
• Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center
• Telemetry, Tracking, and Control Stations
• Aerospace Reconnaissance Bureau
• Satellite Main Station
• Aerospace Research and Development Center
• Project Design Research Center
• Astronaut Corps

Ranks

Officers

Rank group	General/Flag/Air officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
PLA Strategic Support Force v t e
			上将 Shàngjiàng		中将 Zhōngjiàng		少将 Shàojiàng				大校 Dàxiào	上校 Shàngxiào	中校 Zhōngxiào		少校 Shàoxiào		上尉 Shàngwèi		中尉 Zhōngwèi			少尉 Shàowèi			学员 Xuéyuán

Enlisted

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
PLA Strategic Support Force v t e
	一级军士长 Yījí jūnshìzhǎng			二级军士长 Èrjí jūnshìzhǎng			三级军士长 Sānjí jūnshìzhǎng		四级军士长 Sìjí jūnshìzhǎng		上士 Shàngshì						中士 Zhōngshì						下士 Xiàshì						上等兵 Shàngděngbīng						列兵 Lièbīng

Notes

References