People’s Liberation Army Challenges in the OE

China employs warfighting approaches centered on achieving information dominance, disaggregating the U.S. Joint Force, and exploiting strengths in sense, strike, proximity, and protection. China seeks to wage systems confrontation–systems destruction warfare, which is the theory that informs its Multidomain Precision Warfare operational concept. China will execute this concept via target-centric warfare to identify and target vulnerable points in an enemy’s operational system. China enjoys advantages in its sense-strike system, its proximity to Taiwan, and its highly capable integrated air defense network. Despite these strengths, China’s military faces shortcomings that the United States may be able to exploit, such as centralized command and control, a lagging sustainment system, and a fires system purpose built for specific targets. In a potential conflict between the United States and China, other U.S. adversaries would likely provide various levels of covert and overt support to China.