PLA Strategic Support Force

People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force 中国人民解放军战略支援部队
Emblem of People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
Active	January 2016–present
Country	People's Republic of China
Allegiance	Communist Party of China
Branch	People's Liberation Army
Type	Strategic force
Role	Information warfare
Commanders
Commander	General Gao Jin
Political Commissar	General Zheng Weiping
Insignia
Badge

The People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (SSF) is a Military Theater-grade organisation responsible for the space, cyber, and electronic warfare missions of the People's Liberation Army and strategic-level information support for joint operations. As such, the SSF is more or less the information warfare branch of the People's Liberation Army. It was introduced in December 2015 as part of the first wave of the People's Republic of China military reform.

Initial announcements did not provide much detail, but Yang Yujun of the Chinese Ministry of Defense described it as a combination of all support forces. Commentators speculate that it will include high-tech operations including space, cyberspace and electronic warfare operations, independent of other branches of the military. Another expert, Yin Zhuo, said that "the major mission of the PLA Strategic Support Force is to give support to the combat operations so that the PLA can gain regional advantages in the space warfare and cyber warfare domains, and to ensure smooth operations."

Functionally and structurally, the Strategic Support Force operates like the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. The SSF is formed from the units responsible for space, cyber, and electronic warfare in the former General Staff Department (including the cyber espionage capabilities of the former Third Department, the electronic support measures from the former Fourth Department, and the space-based ISR systems and Aerospace Reconnaissance Bureau and Satellite Main Station), General Political Department, and General Armaments Department (including the launch, telemetry, tracking, and control facilities and research and development organisations).