STRATEGIC REPORT: The New PLA Doctrine between "Distributed Warfare" and Neural Integration

Preface: The Quantum Leap of Chinese Defense

The coordinated publication of these three foundational doctrinal documents by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the early days of February 2025 marks China's definitive transition from "mechanization" to the "intelligentization" of its armed forces. Beijing is no longer aiming for mere numerical parity with the West, but for asymmetric superiority through the deconstruction of traditional combat systems. This new strategic architecture is based on the premise that modern warfare is no longer a clash of masses, but a competition of algorithmic speeds.

By integrating the decomposition of forces into microscopic units (Distributed Warfare), the overcoming of human latency through thought (BCI), and the total, instantaneous mobilization of intangible resources (Cloud Brain), China aims to render traditional power projection obsolete. The ultimate goal is the creation of a resilient defense organism, capable of self-repair and surgical strikes milliseconds before the opponent, transforming every national resource—civilian or military—into an active node of a single, immense "war brain." This doctrine represents more than a technological evolution; it is an ontological shift in conflict: victory is decided in the cognitive domain and cyberspace before the first kinetic shot is fired in the physical world.

by Gabriele and Nicola Iuvinale

1. Distributed Warfare: The Deconstruction of Systems

The PLA defines Distributed Warfare as the breakdown of large forces into minimal, agile, and dispersed units capable of saturating the battlefield. The core focus is "instantaneous energy concentration": units do not operate in close proximity but converge their effects simultaneously on the target.

• The Achilles' Heel: The document admits a systemic vulnerability in the fragility of the network. The lack of centralized command makes dispersed nodes targets for specific hardware/software attacks. Beijing suggests that interfering with mission data (through the injection of redundant or invalid data) can increase the "fog of war," leading to the opponent's logistical and decisional collapse. Depleting resources through deception (decoys and false deployments) is the key strategy to overwhelm the enemy.

  
  

2. Brain-Computer Interface (BCI): the "Digital Stirrup"

To overcome the physical limits of the operator, China is investing heavily in BCI technology. Compared to the stirrup that revolutionized cavalry, BCI promises to eliminate neuromuscular delay (the "decision-action-response" cycle), reducing latency to milliseconds and realizing the principle of "what you think is what you get."

• Neural Integration: The concept of "Networked Consciousness" envisions soldiers sharing information directly at the neural level. This transforms the combatant into a biological extension of the weapon system, allowing operations to be "thought" rather than just "executed," drastically increasing stealth and tactical coordination without interceptable verbal communication. BCI frees soldiers from mechanical actions, allowing them to focus on higher-order tactical decision-making.

  
  

3. Intelligent Mobilization and the "Cloud Brain"

The third pillar concerns mobilization in intangible domains (space, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum). China proposes the creation of a national "Cloud Brain": a central nervous system based on AI for the real-time management of civilian and military resources.

• Digital Twin of Defense: Through the use of AI and Big Data, the PLA intends to map every strategic resource—from high-end chips to the status of orbiting satellites and specialized talent—creating a Digital Twin of national mobilization. This allows for the prediction of war damage and the mobilization of specific capabilities in milliseconds, ensuring resilience through self-learning and autonomous logistical repair.

  
  

Analysis of Connections and Technical Vulnerabilities

The "red thread" connecting these reports is the transcendence of human limits via algorithms. Distributed Warfare provides the physical architecture, BCI provides the instantaneous command interface, and the Cloud Brain ensures the strategic resource is available at the exact moment of need.

Key Laboratories and Algorithmic Development

Western intelligence closely monitors Chinese centers of excellence materializing these doctrines:

• Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS): At the heart of research on neural decoding and non-invasive/implantable BCI. This is where specific frequencies (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma bands) are studied for the synchronization of neural commands.

• National University of Defense Technology (NUDT): Responsible for the optimization algorithms powering the Cloud Brain.

• Synchronization Protocols: The PLA is testing systems where coordination occurs at a higher level of abstraction than standard radio frequency, making units nearly immune to traditional electronic jamming, as swarm cohesion is maintained by neural sharing of mission data.

  
  

Company Mapping and Semiconductor Dependency

The success of the Cloud Brain depends strictly on access to advanced hardware. Monitored Chinese tech firms include:

• Inspur and Sugon (Dawning Information): Essential for the server infrastructure and supercomputing required for "Digital Twins."

• Huawei (HiSilicon): Remains the pivot for the development of NPU (Neural Processing Unit) chips for distributed AI despite sanctions.

• iFLYTEK: Involved in signal recognition and cognitive interfaces.

• SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp): Monitoring for 2026 indicates that SMIC's ability to mass-produce 7nm and 5nm processes (using DUV multi-patterning in the absence of EUV machines) is the true strategic bottleneck. Without a stable yield of these chips, the computational density required for real-time "Cloud Brain" mobilization degrades rapidly.

  
  

EW Countermeasures and NATO Cognitive Defense

Western forces are responding with the development of Neuromodulated Electronic Warfare (EW) techniques and "Cognitive Sovereignty" protection strategies:

1. Cognitive Noise Injection: Degrading the neural signal before decoding, inducing targeting or navigation errors in swarms. NATO's "Cognitive Shield" exercises test operator resilience to these bio-electronic attacks.

2. BCI Spectrum Attack: Identifying the specific radio frequencies used by AMMS prototypes for the "Neural Link" (often in millimeter-wave or UWB bands) allows for the disruption of "Networked Consciousness" by injecting interference signals that mimic neural patterns.

3. NATO Defense and Cognitive Sovereignty: NATO programs are implementing "Cognitive Firewall" protocols to protect their operators from external manipulation attempts, ensuring that human-machine interaction remains intact and shielded from direct nervous system infiltration.

4. Chip Vulnerability: The PLA's "Intelligent Warfare" remains anchored to the availability of high-end semiconductors. A total supply chain block would render the Cloud Brain incapable of processing the necessary data volume, turning the complex distributed network into a series of blind nodes lacking autonomous decision-making capability.

Extrema Ratio is a geopolitical platform founded by Gabriele and Nicola Iuvinale, experts in the Sinocentric system and Liminal Warfare. Specializing in OSINT/PAI analysis, they provide strategic consultancy on Chinese intelligence operations to governments and global corporations.

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