Sustaining China’s Sovereignty Claims: The PLA’s Embrace of Unmanned Logistics
Publication: China Brief Volume: 21 Issue: 10
May 21, 2021 01:08 PM
Age: 12 hours
Image: A media report highlighted the food and medical aid supply capability of logistical UAVs to support PLA border operations, including accompanying screenshots showing swarm technology and rescue operations using drone technology. (Source: QQ).
Introduction
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has tested the use of unmanned vehicles (UAVs) to perform logistical missions such as transportation and resupply since 2018. In academic explorations of border defense and logistics modernization, PLA logistics officers argue that UAVs can dramatically increase the efficiency of the PLA’s supply chain in addition to improving the military’s ability to supply forces operating in hostile environmental conditions or in contested areas. Such advantages could provide an important advantage to China as it seeks to