According to the new reports from US National Defense University, China’s military commanders carry a conceivable liability that has undermined their Russian companions in Ukraine, hampering their ability to wage a parallel war. The information identifies a scarcity of cross-training as a possible Achilles’ heel within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Still, the analysts stay skeptical of under-evaluating China’s abilities and warn them against comparisons with Russia’s military. 

The statement delved into the backdrops of more than 300 PLA’s leading officers across its five services, namely the army, navy, air force, rocket force, and strategic support force, in the six years leading up to 2021. In each service, leaders were dubious about having an operational venture in any branch other than the one they were already equipped with. 

To rephrase it, the PLA soldiers stay soldiers, airmen remain airmen, and sailors remain sailors. Hardly do these soldiers ever venture outside those silos, according to some unknown sources, differentiating themselves from the US military, where cross-training has been a legalized requirement since 1986. 

The long report went on to say that “rigidity could reduce China’s effectiveness in future conflicts,” especially in conflicts that require high levels of joint-service action, and suggest PLA forces that would become embroiled in the same sort of issues that have plagued their Russian partners in Ukraine, “Where the overall cohesion of forces are low.” 

From the beginning of Russia’s charge on its neighbor seven months ago, weaknesses in the Russian military structure have become more vivid to outside observers. Recently, after the defeated troops of Russian forces by a Ukrainian counterstrike, Moscow ground forces lacked air cover, according to some specialists. At the same time, logistical issues devastated the Russian ability to resupply its forces earlier in the war. The trucks lacked suitable tires for the landscape and kept powering down due to a lack of maintenance. 

Although PLA can never be underestimated, many directors who have observed the center have said that it is the best assessment of where China is reaching. Suggesting that the PLA has the ability to fight a war like Ukraine and it has many advantages over the Russian military.