Chinese military operations other than war (MOOTW) focus on deterring war, resolving conflict, promoting peace, and supporting civil authorities in response to domestic crises.
The non-traditional missions of the Chinese armed forces have evolved as an increasingly used tool of statecraft.[1] China has deployed forces in more than a dozen UN peacekeeping missions, and has committed over 3,000 personnel to UN peacekeeping operations.[2][3]
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) established specialized forces for military operations other than war. Current planning anticipates five specialized groups, including (a) flood and disaster relief forces, (b) post-earthquake emergency rescue forces, (c) emergency rescue forces for nuclear, chemical and biological disasters, (d) emergency relief force for transportation facilities and (e) international peacekeeping force.[4]
MOOTW have been a subject of study at the National Defense University (NDU), which became a venue for examining the practical experience of equipment utilization and support. The characteristics, rules, contents and methods of equipment utilization and support in MOOTW were evaluated.[5]