Abstract
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) underwent significant restructuring in 2024. The "Strategic Support Force" (SSF) was disbanded, with its "Aerospace Systems Department" reorganized as the "Military Aerospace Force," its "Cyber Systems Department" transformed into the "Cyber Space Force," and a new "Information Support Force" created, resulting in three independent branches. Although this military reform has brought changes in the organizational structure, the distinctive traits of the SSF, one of the PLA's few high-tech units responsible for various emerging domains such as space, cyber, electronic, information communication, and psychological warfare, are expected to be retained. Its personnel generally have higher educational backgrounds and expertise compared to other units, and it heavily relies on the development of advanced technologies through civil-military integration.
This article attempts to explore the technical cooperation strategies between the former SSF and industry, local government, academia, and research institutions from the perspective of "technological innovation." Preliminary findings indicate that due to the technological innovation demands in information, cyber, and aerospace fields, the former SSF has actively sought to establish a national system for technological innovation. This has been achieved not only through its affiliated military universities (such as the University of Aerospace Engineering and the University of Information Engineering) and research institutions (such as the 56th, 57th, and 58th Research Institutes), but also through China's national strategy of civil-military integration. Notably, the SSF has engaged with various national defense technology innovation parks, signed strategic cooperation agreements with universities and enterprises, jointly participated in major technology research projects, and provided fundings through the " Ranking System for Bidding", similar to the funding programs for public challenge / innovation challenge in Europe and the United States; the aim being to attract resources like research talents and technology patents from private enterprises and universities, leveraging their scientific research and technological development outcomes for military applications.