Military Operations Other Than War (With Chinese Characteristics)

This chapter analyzes the adoption and adaptation of the “Military Operations Other Than War” (MOOTW) framework in Chinese military doctrine and practice. Since its adoption in the early 21st century, the concept of MOOTW has been embedded in China’s military strategy and embraced as a critical avenue for the PLA to safeguard Chinese interests overseas, enhance their own operational experience, and augment Chinese diplomatic and political lines of effort. The PLA has since played a leading role in projecting Chinese power abroad to secure China’s interests and conduct military diplomacy, and it has calibrated its domestic mission set to address not only wartime defense preparations but also peacetime military operations.